Hope for the Lost
Spoilers: All of Season 1 but especially the season finale!
Disclaimer: I own nothing...
Skye sat surrounded by the team as they ate dinner, Hill had left that morning with the promise of returning. She claimed that now since SHIELD was starting to be rebuilt she'd be turning in her resignation to Stark and gathering as many loyal ex-agents as she had access to. Looking up the hacker found Fitz starring at her with anger so she looked down again.
She'd fallen asleep against Ward's shoulder the night before during her visit to him only to wake to Coulson delivering the man's breakfast. Ward had moved across the room and left her to sleep on his bed while he slept on the floor. Coulson had just walked out of the room without a single word or looking at her. Everyone had been tense about the whole thing, Fitz had asked her how she could possibly fall asleep in the same room as a murderer.
The whole thing made her uneasy and she resigned herself to not visiting Ward for a few days. She put all her effort into either training or building the new security system that they'd need for all future installations in the new SHIELD. It was only on the third day in the middle of beating the crap out of a punching bag did May show up. She stood in the doorway to the gym and watched the hacker take out her anger at the bag.
"He's asking for you."
Skye stopped and steadied the bag as she turned to the woman in the doorway. "Tell him I'm not coming today." She moved over to the nearby table and picked up her water bottle, "like Fitz said, I've let my feelings cloud my judgment. I've gotten too close and I need to take a step back. I thought you of all people would agree with Fitz and want me away from Ward."
"I don't necessary like it but I watched those videos of his therapy sessions. I believed he wasn't being controlled but he was and the only person who broke through is the one that also abandoned him once already." May moved into the room and looked at Skye. "Ward needs someone to be there for him because Coulson was right, this will be long recovery for him after almost two decades of abuse. I know you love him…"
"I shouldn't, not after everything he did. I should just try to bury it all and hate him."
May nodded as she crossed her arms, "you could do that or you could give him a chance to redeem himself. Sometimes we don't deserve second chances but Ward, he's one of the few people who does because he'd be a different person without Garrett and he never had a chance to be anyone different. You're the only one he really cares about Skye and if you abandon him he'll sink faster than you can imagine."
"Tell him I'll be there tomorrow." She turned back to the bag and started her assault again as May left the room.
She sat nursing a cup of coffee after her work out and looking over the base feeds only to see Coulson escorting Ward down a hallway to another room that was a secondary Cage. Figuring he'd done damage to the first, Skye flipped to the security feed of Ward's holding cell. She watched as Trip and Koenig worked to install a glass barrier similar to the one that separated the cargo bay and the lab on the Bus.
Watching the feed, she saw as the room was cut in half but still gave Ward a large space to move around in. The glass wall was installed and had a door that was biometrically censored so he couldn't get out. A second small camp bed was placed on the other side of the wall along with a table and chairs.
"They're making it safer for you." She turned to see May moving to make herself tea. "Not everyone trusts he won't hurt you again so they agreed that it was the next best thing. You'll be able to see each other but you aren't allowed beyond the glass wall until he's more stable."
"How is that humane?" Skye shut her laptop, "dangling something in front of him but keeping it out of reach?"
May paused and met Skye's eyes, "it's to save him from himself. He wants you safe, always has and as soon as he was told what would be going on he agreed instantly."
The next morning after breakfast had been served and the team was doing their own thing, Skye escaped into the Cage with her laptop. She found Ward reading a book as he sat on his bed, the former specialist looked up as she touched the wall panel that allowed sound through both sides of the wall. Settling on the floor against it she smiled as he sat down across from her.
"Fitz said something and I just," she shrugged, "I shouldn't have listened to him. I'm sorry I haven't come to visit. I managed to get Fitz to agree with Simmons' help of course but see these wires here." She pointed to the wires on the inside of the glass, "they're holographic projectors."
"I don't understand, why did you install holographic projectors in the glass?"
Skye set her laptop down and hooked a cable to the wall, instantly a holographic game of battleship laid on both sides of the glass. "Well, how can I play games with you if I can't be in the same room as you?" She smiled and looked at him, "you have two minutes to put in your coordinates before it starts the game."
Coulson stood watching the feed of Skye and Ward playing their game, May came to stand beside him. He folded his arms and looked at her as she smiled at the hacker and former specialist speak as they played.
"She's his only hope."
"I know," Coulson sighed and watched as Skye laughed at Ward as he looked down at his game. Reaching over he turned on the audio for the room and Skye's voice filtered through.
"Say it Ward, say it."
"You sunk my battleship." Skye laughed and punched the air, Ward smiled at her as she moved again.
May looked at her fellow agent, "how long are we going to keep him here?"
"Till we trust him again." Coulson shrugged, "he can make the decision to stay or go but it'll be his decision. There won't be any more orders, he's been controlled long enough and it'll be his choice alone whether he chooses civilian life or SHIELD again."
A/N: I think everyone is onboard beside Fitz and Coulson, or at least they understand.
Next we see a bit of Ward's therapy and the realization that made him start to change.
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