Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for you all! This one kinda moves the story along, but not by a lot.

Enjoy!

Needless to say, but the last three months have basically been heaven for him. Then again, he had a really crappy life growing up, so any situation where he's not getting beaten on or locked away somewhere seems pretty good to him.

Over the last three months, he's been able to experience being a father in all its glory. Despite some of the more rough moments, where Adian won't settle down completely or he just gets way too inside his own head, he's really enjoying being a father. It's better than he ever imagined it could be, and he knows it's only going to get better as time goes on. At least, that's what he tells himself every time Adian does something new and amazing. He tells himself that it's only going to get more amazing as each day comes and goes and Adian gets older and discovers new things about the world around him.

Even the less exciting moments are still pretty great to him. Like the current moment, of him and Adian just hanging out, the young boy napping on his chest while he does some reading to keep himself busy. It may not be the definition of exciting, but he still revels in every second he gets to spend with his son, even if the boy isn't awake.

Quiet noises pull him away from his book, looking down to see Adian squirming slightly against his chest, one of his tiny fists rubbing against his face. He waits a moment, to see if the boy will settle back down and remain sleeping. When he doesn't, Grant smiles as Adian slowly comes out of his slumber, resting one hand gently on the baby's back in case he slips.

"Hey, bud," he whispers, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of his head. "Did you have a good nap?" He closes his book and sets it on the floor, focusing all of his attention on the three-month-old.

He watches as Adian lifts his head and slowly smiles at him, his little eyes lighting up once he's more awake.

"There's my guy," he says, grabbing hold of Adian under the arms and lifting him so he's standing on his stomach. Adian squeals and pushes his feet against Grant's stomach, bouncing up and down a little as he does.

He laughs quietly at his son's enthusiasm. "You really like doing that, huh?" He brings Adian closer to him and blows raspberries against his onesie-clad belly, making the boy squeal and curl his legs up instinctively. His hands wave in the air before latching onto Grant's nose. "What are you doing, bud?" he asks with a quiet chuckle. "Are you trying to steal daddy's nose from him? Because I should warn you that that wouldn't be a very wise decision. Daddy is very specially trained and I'd just find wherever you put it."

Reaching down to the carpet, he grabs one of Adian's toys that the boy had been playing with earlier before napping and hands it to him after settling him against the back of the couch, sitting on his stomach still, to keep him entertained for a little bit longer.

He rests his head against the arm of the couch, keeping one hand near Adian just in case, and just smiles at the baby. Sometimes he really can't believe that this is his life now. He never thought he'd get to this point but now he has a kid. He has a son, somebody who is half of his DNA and relying on him for basically everything until he's older. It's a scary thought sometimes.

"Well, there you two are."

He watches with an amused smile as Adian perks up, the toy still hanging in his mouth as his eyes dart around the room for the source of the familiar sound.

"Who is it, bud?" he asks his son. "Who do you hear? Do you hear your mom?"

"Hello, my handsome boy." Skye quickly steps forward and scoops Adian into her arms over the back of the couch, the little boy waving his toy in the air while Skye presses kisses to his cheeks. "Oh, I hate going to meetings because I don't get to see you. Did you have fun with your dad?"

"He napped for most of it," he informs her, pulling himself up so he's sitting. "Just woke up a few minutes ago."

"I guess that means it's almost time to eat, then, huh, baby?" She holds Adian close and presses another kiss to his cheek. Adian mumbles nonsense in reply, pressing his face against Skye's neck. She laughs quietly and rubs at his back.

He smiles as he watches the two of them, never getting tired of it.

"Ward."

Pulling himself from his thoughts, he finds Coulson stepping through the doorway to the lounge, his holding a look of stern professionalism as he approaches.

"Coulson," he says with a slight nod. "What can I do for you?"

"I actually came to talk to you about something."

"Oh, uh, okay."

"Before you two start talking," Skye speaks up, looking directly at him, "I figured I'd let you say bye to Adian before I go feed him." She leans over the couch just enough for him to reach up and take Adian into his arms.

"Bye, bud," he says quietly to his son, kissing the side of his head. "Be good for your mom, okay?" He shares a smile with his son before handing him back to Skye, watching as they walk out of the lounge toward their rooms.

Taking a deep breath, he sits up a little straighter and focuses on Coulson. "You said you wanted to speak with me?"

Coulson nods. "Yes. If you're physically feeling up for it, I have a mission that I'd like you to be on."

His entire body tenses and he sucks in a sharp breath at the thought of going on another mission. The last one he went on wasn't exactly a shining success, and he almost didn't make it back to meet his son. He doesn't know if he can go through that again. If he can put Skye through that again.

"It's just a recon mission," Coulson tells him and every one of his muscles relax. "You shouldn't be gone for too long."

"Missions don't always go according to plan," he tells the older man. "Even recon missions."

Coulson nods. "Yes, I know. But this one should be fairly easy. We just need you to go and tail someone for a few days; make note of their routine and contacts and other specifics you deem may be necessary."

"That's all I need to do?" he asks.

"That's all you need to do," Coulson confirms. "Once you get that information, it'll help us to take down one of the higher players in Hydra."

He breathes in deeply a few times, weighing the options in his head. If he does this, he'll be away from Adian for at least a few days, maybe longer. But it'll be another step in making the world a slightly safer place for his son.

"Ward, I'm going to need an answer from you soon."

He looks up at the man and sighs. "Do I really have much of a choice here?"

"If you want to stay out of Vault D, then no, not really."

He sighs again. "Alright. When do you need me to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning at nine," he tells him.

He nods. "Alright. Uh, I'll start getting prepared for that, then."

"Great. Come and see me sometime tonight for the rest of the details about the mission."

"I will."

He waits for Coulson to leave the room before leaning back into the couch and letting out a breath, running a hand down his face. The last thing that he wants to do is leave his son, especially when he's so young, but he told Coulson that he'd do basically anything to stay out of Vault D and to prove himself to the team. It's not like he has much of a choice, just like Coulson said. He's still wearing his ankle monitor, put back on him right after his surgery had finished from his last mission. A mission that didn't quite go as planned. He just really hopes that this one goes better. He can't imagine not coming back and leaving Skye to raise their son all on her own. That's not fair to her. Or Adian.

Standing from the couch, he gathers up Adian's toys that got scattered around the room and carries them back to the nursery, making sure to grab his own book on the way.

Inputting the code to open the nursery door, he smiles at the sight that greets him when he opens it. Skye is standing in the middle of the room with her back mostly to him, Adian cradled in her arms. She's talking softly to the boy as he eats, swaying back and forth.

He leans against the doorway just watching the scene, wondering how exactly he got so lucky, even if he and Skye aren't actually together. Yet. He's not going to give up hope.

"I can come back later if you're still feeding him," he says softly, not wanting to startle her. He knows it's a natural thing, but he never wanted to intrude, didn't want her to think anything.

She looks at him over her shoulder. "Oh, hey. You're fine. Did you need something?"

"Just bringing some toys back," he says, holding up the toys. He steps inside the room, the door sliding shut behind him, and crosses to the side of the room to deposit the toys in one of the many storage buckets. "Is he good?" he asks, turning around to face her, making sure to keep his eyes on her face.

She nods. "Yeah. He's very hungry, though, I'll tell you that."

He chuckles quietly. "I'm sure he is." He leans back against the wall, looking down at the floor. "Hey, uh, are you busy tomorrow morning?"

"No, I don't think so. Why?"

"I uh, I was wondering if you'd meet me in the hangar at about ten to nine tomorrow morning. I want to say bye to Adian before I leave."

"Leave? Coulson's not—"

He shakes his head, quickly cutting her off as he looks up at her. "Oh, no no no. Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound that way. He's sending me on another mission. Just recon, so no action. But I'm not sure exactly how long I'll be gone. He said it'll just be for a few days, but you never know with recon. It could take longer."

She nods. "Right. Well, I'll be sure to be there with Adian so you can see him before you go."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it."

She smiles softly at him. "It's not a problem."

"Great. So uh, I'll just...leave you to what you're doing, then. I have to go get things together for tomorrow anyway. But I'll see you in the morning."

She nods. "Yeah."

He gives her a small smile before turning and making his way out of the nursery and into his room next door.

Falling onto his bed he lets out a sigh. He really hopes that things start to get better for him as soon as possible.

.

.

.

Shuffling on his feet, Grant breathes in and out carefully, steadying his nerves. He's still not quite sure how he feels about going on another mission after how the last one turned out. But he's been trained for stealth missions like this. And he made sure not to have any photos of Skye or Adian on him or in his stuff this time, just in case something goes sideways.

"Grant."

He spins around and smiles when he sees Skye approaching with Adian in her arms, the little boy happily gumming on one of his many toys.

He breathes out. "You came."

"I said that we would."

He nods. "I know. Can I…?" He gestures to Adian, letting the question go unfinished.

She smiles as she hands Adian to him. "You know you don't have to ask all the time, he's your son too."

"I know that. I'm just still getting used to this life, I guess." He gently bounces Adian in his arms and smiles at the boy. "I'm going to miss you so much while I'm gone, bud. But I promise I'll do everything I can to make it back to you in one piece."

"You better," Skye tells him. "I will not raise your son on my own."

He sighs, running a hand over Adian's head as he kisses the boy's temple. "I don't want to leave him. Even just for a few days."

"Coulson said it's just a recon mission, right?"

He nods. "Yeah."

"So everything will be fine."

"You can't honestly believe that."

"I have to if I'm going to survive however long you're gone for. I need you back in one piece so I can dump Adian on you when I need a break."

He smiles. "I'll probably miss movie night this week," he tells her, his smile turning apologetic.

"Then we'll just have to double up next time."

"I think I can live with that." He looks down at Adian. "What do you think, bud? Do you want to watch two movies next week instead of just one?"

Adian babbles incoherently, repeating the same noises over and over as he waves his toy in the air, nearly hitting both of them in the face.

"I think we can take that as a yes," Skye says with a small smile.

"Ward, good, you're here. Skye, I wasn't expecting to see you this morning."

They both turn to see Coulson approaching them, a slight smile on his face at seeing Skye and Adian.

"Grant wanted to see Adian before leaving," Skye explains to their boss.

"Which we should probably be doing now," Coulson tells Grant. "Hurry up so we can leave."

Grant sighs as Coulson steps up onto the ramp of the quinjet, leaving him alone with Skye and Adian. He looks at his son, the little boy not paying attention to anything, simply babbling away. "Daddy loves you so much, Adian," he says quietly, pressing a kiss to the boy's forehead. "I'll see you soon, okay? Be good for your mom." He reluctantly hands Adian over to Skye, the little boy frowning a little and whimpering, looking in Grant's direction.

"You better go before it gets worse," Skye tells him.

He nods. "Yeah, okay. I'll be back in a few days," he tells her.

She gives him a small smile. "I know. Now go."

He takes a deep breath, casting one more glance at his son before turning around and making his way up the ramp of the quinjet, his heart clenching at having to leave his son. He knows it's only for a few days and then he'll be back to cuddle his boy, but he still doesn't like leaving. He just prays that this mission goes off without a hitch. He does not need anything to go wrong.

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!