Life and Times of Avery Ward: Daughter of The Shield

Disclaimer: I own Avery, nothing else

Spoilers: Sequel to "The Shield is Born", read first or this won't make sense.


Avery sat in jeans and a black top with her hair loose around her face, in her hands was a folder with every single one of her accomplishments. The application sat on top clipped to the folder and she was trying to remain calm but her foot was tapping against the floor. She was nervous for her interview and tour of SHIELD Youth Academy. Her father sat beside her patiently waiting without a thing to do other than look around.

"You nervous?"

Bright brown eyes looked up at him, "a little bit, when I got the invitation I was thrilled. Uncle Phil said that only children or the best agents are accepted." She handed him the folder and he took it, "they sent it to me as Avery Zale not Avery Ward though."

"Probably because your mother is one of the best agents that SHIELD has." Ward handed her the folder back and rubbed her arm. "You'll do great, you'll get through your interview with flying colors, get your schedule and see the campus. If you're lucky, you might get a lunch visit or two with the team during the school year."

"That would be cool!" Avery smiled and only looked up when a woman walked over.

"Avery Zale?"

Avery stood up and Ward beside her, "that's me, sort of."

The woman held out her hand, "I'm Director Lena Ripley, welcome to SYA. Is this your father?"

"Agent Grant Ward." Ward held out his hand and Ripley merely stared at him.

"I see, please follow me to my office so we can get to know one another."


In the office, Avery and Ward were directed to sit on couches while Ripley sat opposite of them with a tablet in her lap. Avery just smiled and put her hands on her lap, "I am so excited, it took massive negotiation tactics to convince my parents to let me come."

"And hiding in the ceiling." Ward chuckled but Avery's eyes went wide. "Sorry...your evasion tactics make senior agents look like rookies so I'm proud."

"Unfortunately," they turned to Ripley, "per new SHIELD bylaws, any child of a current or former HYDRA member is excluded from the process. Due to recent information, I must rrevoke the application and acceptance letter."

"What?" Avery looked at them both, "what do you mean by that?"

Ripley turned to Ward, "I assume that you did not inform your daughter of your past?"

"It wasn't her concern, it's in the past." Ward glared at Ripley, "I surrendered to SHIELD and earned back their trust. I am part of a specialized team trusted by Director Hill herself so those actions are in the past."

"Unfortunately the new bylaws prevent me from allowing Avery to attend." Ripley looked at Avery and gave a small smile. "I'm sorry Avery but per SHIELD bylaws, since your father is an ex-member of HYDRA I can't allow you to attend."

Avery looked at them both with tears in her eyes, "but…I got accepted."

"Before we were aware of who your father was, he was not listed in your records." Ripley stood and nodded to them both. "Let me walk you out."


Getting back to the Bus, Avery ran to the bunk that had become her own during her stay with her father and the team. Ward sat on the couch with his hands on his head till Coulson's voice brought him to reality.

"What happened? You embarrass her or something?" He chuckled and sat down but Ward shook his head. "What happened Grant?"

"Apparently the new bylaws prohibit children of ex-HYDRA members to attend any SHIELD academy. Director Ripley basically told Avery in her office that she'd never be able to attend SYA or any SHIELD academy because of who I was years ago." Ward sighed and shook his head. "I destroyed my daughter's dreams, because of who I was years ago I have destroyed her hopes of becoming a SHIELD agent."

Coulson sighed, "let me talk to Hill and see if we can salvage the situation. You know she's good about finding loopholes, she's had years of practice being under Fury."

"I would be grateful if you could sir." Ward put a hand over his mouth for a moment before speaking. "I confirmed that I once worked for the enemy her mother told her would come get her if she exposed herself. I have become the enemy instead of the hero she's always known. She said that everything about me had been a lie."

"Skye did what she thought best…"

"Everyone knows she did and she's the best mother she can be raising Avery alone. She's a lot better than my mother was, not caring what her son did to her younger sons." Ward shook his head, "she just shouldn't have lied about me."


Avery laid in her bunk starring at the picture of her and her parents that had been taken just after her arrival back from camp. Her parents looked so happy with her and each other but everything had been a lie. Her father was a traitor to SHIELD, even if he turned back, and not the man she thought he was. She'd been told he was a hero but he was the enemy and her mother just didn't care about it either.

A knock made her look at her door, it opened to show Coulson. He slipped in and sat down on the bed beside her, placing a hand on her leg. "How are you feeling?"

"Betrayed." She put the picture down, "everything was a lie."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Avery sat up and nodded as Coulson put an arm around her. "When your mother left our team years ago, she didn't know she was pregnant with you. She was prepared to take on HYDRA all by herself to keep our team safe, to keep her family safe but instead she fought in the shadows to keep you safe too."

Avery sighed, "how is that a secret?"

"That's not the secret," he smiled at her. "The secret is that your father realized that she left to keep us safe, the man he worked for within HYDRA would massacre us all because your mother wasn't there. He surrendered in that moment so that we could keep her safe, all he wanted was to keep your mother safe." Pushing her hair back Coulson chuckled. "They make you think differently but your father didn't know about you till after your aunts came to visit you at school after the playground incident. He felt grief for betraying our team, felt he'd lost everything because he lost your mother and you. He'd stare at your pictures and videos for hours because he lost so much of your life because of his choices."

"So he felt guilty…good, he should." The nine year old crossed her arms.

"Your mother made a point months ago about it all though." Coulson stood and prepared to go. "I can't go into specifics but if he hadn't betrayed us then you wouldn't have been born. He regrets the betrayal but he doesn't regret the actions that lead to you. Think about that."

He left and Avery laid back down, looking at the picture of her small family. She never knew that if her father hadn't betrayed her mother than she wouldn't have been born. She remembered her mother telling her about how her father did something horrible before her birth but it didn't change how she'd felt.


It was dinner time before Avery emerged and immediately she was recruited into helping her Aunt Jemma in the kitchen. She set the table and assisted in the making of spaghetti when she looked up to see her Uncle Phil and father talking as they entered the dining area.

"Thanks Coulson."

"Thank Hill, the woman nearly had a cow when I told her what Ripley said. She looked about ready to march to SYA herself and give the woman a piece of her mind." Coulson smiled at Avery as the entered the kitchen. "You kiddo owe your dad a lot of hugs and a huge apology."

Avery looked between them, "why?"

"He managed to salvage your acceptance letter to SYA." Coulson chuckled, "of course he has to convince your mother to rejoin us for it to be final of course. Director Hill agreed to wipe all record of your father being ex-HYDRA from his record if your mother comes to work for us again. That would allow you to attend SYA without violating the bylaws."

She was over to her father in and instant and hugged him, "thank you and I'm sorry, I was just so mad!"

Ward picked her up despite her being nine and tall like him, "I'm sorry we lied to you but we just thought it was the best thing that you never know about what I did."

Avery smiled and hugged him, "you're not bad anymore, you're my dad and I love you."


A/N: Next we see Avery move into SYA...

What would anyone like to see for Avery's move in day?

Should she run into anyone's kid? Hill's? Barton & Romanoff's? Fury's maybe?

What type of classes do you think she'll take (think of this like a military academy, it's not just training and combat, it's an actual school)?