Thanks so much, you lovely, wonderful, faithful, intelligent and beautiful readers and reviewers, namely Wolf's Edge, ajanji14, CatMaz, Luckyflossy, shadow375 and three guests!

Here comes the final chapter. It's rather short and maybe a bit anti-climatic, but this is what happens when you break up a chapter into two parts... Hope you like it anyway!

-x-x-x-x-

Ward had only sat on the cot in the interrogation room for about twenty minutes, staring at his cuffed hands, when he heard the door being unlocked again from the outside. He looked up and saw that it was Trip, motioning for him to get up.

"Come on", the specialist prompted him, face for once unsmiling and unreadable. "We need this room for our new guests and you look like you need some patching up."

Ward got up slowly, hiding a wince when his side and leg protested, then walked out of the room under the watchful gaze of Trip.

"Wait", the younger man said when Ward wanted to move past him. "Let's get these off of you."

The cuffs on his wrists clicked open and Ward started rubbing his hands to get the feeling back into them.

"We don't need them anymore, do we?", Trip asked him carefully, giving him a thorough once-over.

"No", Ward answered quietly. There was no point in mentioning that he could have gotten the handcuffs off anytime he wanted. After all, Trip had gone through the same training he himself had absolved under Garrett's strict regiment. Then again, maybe Ward's own training had gone a little differently than Trip's.

He silently followed the agent through the plane and down the stairs to the lab. Skye was there, conscious again, but visibly groggy, being tended to by Simmons. Coulson was there, too, his right arm in a makeshift sling.

"I'll be back in a moment", Trip announced. "I'll just make sure that our special guests are comfortable in their new home."

The door to the lab swished shut again and Ward was unsure what to do and where to stand. Just as he decided it would be best to make himself as invisible as possible and to stand in one of the corners, Simmons spoke up.

"Sit on that chair", she commanded, not lifting her eyes from the wound on Skye's forehead that she was treating. "Your turn is next."

For a split second Ward was unsure if she was really talking to him, but since both Skye and Coulson were already sitting, she had to mean him. And he knew better than to disobey. He had gotten all too familiar with Simmons' bossiness when it came to treating his injuries in the past. A corner of his mouth threatened to lift up when he thought back to the dozens of times she had rolled her eyes at his scrapes and told him in a voice that would be proper for a rather thick six-year-old, 'When will you finally learn to duck?' So there was nothing else to do but walk over to the chair and wait for his turn. After five minutes, May and Trip joined them in the lab.

This setting – with the whole team gathered in the lab – was so familiar it was almost physically painful. Simmons tutting at Skye, May trying to look unapproachable but still watching over Skye and Coulson like a mother hen, Coulson sending a reassuring smile in Trip's direction... It was so easy to forget what had happened in the meantime. Ward had never been one to rail against his fate, he had learned early on that there was no point in it. He had been rather good in just accepting what life threw at him and somehow deal with it. Now, he wished with every fiber of his body that he could undo the last few months and start anew.

"I don't know much about Hydra", he suddenly blurted out, the words just tumbling from his lips. The room went completely silent with everybody in it freezing and staring at him. "Some hide-outs, ways of communication and a few names. Two bank account numbers." He paused and shrugged, staring at his hands, then added quietly, "Garrett never told me much. Said it was for my own safety."

He managed to keep the bitterness and self-loathing out of his voice, though it was not easy. This was not the time for a sob story. He needed to provide information if he wanted to at least right some of his wrongs. It was just some meagre intel he could give them and his deep set instincts as an agent and a survivor told him that it was unwise to give up all the information he had at once. After all, his holding back on information was what made the team keep him here. As soon as he gave up what he knew, he would lose his value and they would send him back to prison. Still, he needed to come clear, if only to relieve the ache in his chest for a moment and the pressing weight of guilt on his conscience.

"Ward...", Coulson started and all Ward could see was the frown on his face and the raised eyebrows.

"It's true!", Ward insisted fervently, because he realized how unlikely it all sounded. "I know you have no reason to believe me, but I've always been kept on a need-to-know basis only. Perhaps I can remember other things, too, like if Garrett mentioned people in a certain context, maybe weapon dealers, I..."

Ward realized his voice had turned desperate, almost pleading, and he was relieved when Coulson interrupted him.

"Stop", the director ordered mildly. "No one accused you of lying. It's just that you've kept all of this intel to yourself for the past four months, it can wait another hour until you're cleaned up, okay?"

Ward nodded his head stiffly, still staring at his hands. Was this good or bad? Maybe Coulson thought the information he had was worthless, which was why he did not want to hear it. Well, it was true, not even the intel he could give them would make a difference.

"I know it's not much. Telling you about it won't take too long", Ward replied quietly. "Enough time to send me back in the evening."

This made Skye jerk up her head so fast that Simmons started tutting again.

"Coulson!", she complained, voice indignant. "Is this your plan? Sending him back to jail? After everything Ward has done today?"

Coulson raised his good left arm in a placating gesture.

"Calm down, Skye. I never said this was my plan." He paused, than asked Ward, "Do you still want to go back to prison?"

Ward ground his teeth, struggling with himself over the answer to this question. Nothing had changed after today, he tried to tell himself. He was still the traitor in their midst, his ledger was dripping red and even three lifetimes would not be enough to make up for everything he had done wrong. Still...

"No", he answered finally.

Coulson's eyes were shining peculiarly when he asked on, "What do you want, Ward?"

Again Ward found himself struggling and again he decided to go for the truth.

"To make things undone", he answered slowly. "To go back, make different choices. To be better."

To be stronger, a familiar voice told him, but Ward suppressed it. Not now.

"Unfortunately", Coulson replied, almost wryly, "S.H.I.E.L.D. has not yet invented a time machine. I'm sure Fitz will work on it as soon as he's back. So the question still stands: What do you want to do?"

Ward did not dare to look up when he answered simply, "I want to help. Try and make things right."

He could not bring himself to say that he wished to be part of the team again. He would do whatever needed to be done, this had to be enough for now.

"Okay", Coulson replied, giving him a small nod. "Come and see me in my office as soon as you're patched up."

The director got up from his chair and wanted to move out of the lab when Simmons' voice stopped him.

"We're not done yet", she reminded him rather sharply, then added belatedly, "sir."

"Crap", Coulson answered, smiling ruefully when he turned back around. "I'm sure sneaking off will work one of these days."

"Nice try, sir", Trip commented with a grin. "But believe me: I've tried. Simmons got eyes like a hawk and she always watches her prey. You're only left alone after she's poked your sore spots at least three times."

The scientist rolled her eyes at that and sent a small, conspiratorial smile to Ward.

"Am I really that bad?", she asked him in a mock serious voice. "You should know, Ward, you've got the longest and most thorough acquaintance with my bedside manner."

Since he had not expected to be drawn into their antics, Ward was completely at a loss what to do or say. He had mostly been left to his own devices by the team in the last few weeks and his mind was still trying to come up with scenarios of what Coulson wanted to speak to him about.

"I'm...", he began to stutter when all eyes turned on him. "Ahm... I think you're alright. You're not poking too hard, I mean... Some of the other medics are... rougher."

Simmons was staring at him as if he had grown a second head, while Skye suddenly burst out laughing.

"Still swinging and missing, Ward", she giggled and Ward could not help but think that maybe Simmons had shot her up with the good drugs. "God, you're really awful with compliments. Not just the cover-you, but the real you."

The other members of the team watched him carefully for any kind of reaction, so Ward finally decided to shrug, but he could not keep one corner of his lips from lifting. It was enough for Skye, who smiled back at him brilliantly.

Patching him up did not take too long, since none of his hurts was serious. Ward almost wished it would have taken longer, but before he knew it, Coulson already escorted him back to the office.

"Take a seat", the older man directed and Ward did as he was told.

Coulson was silent for a moment and stared at his own arm that rested in the sling, before he looked up.

"Look", he began, "I really don't want to send you back to prison. But we got a bit of a problem here, because you are a criminal, Ward. You killed people, you were part of a hostile takeover and you misled this agency right from the beginning. You betrayed this team and attacked your colleagues. This isn't something a simple 'I'm sorry' can make up for."

"I know", Ward murmured quietly.

Coulson sighed and rubbed his face.

"Still, I want to keep you around and I can see that you deeply regret what you did. You're the biggest victim of your own mistakes and the backlash is even worse for you than for us. You've been cheated and lied to your whole life. The damage these people, Garrett most of all, did to you won't just go away and it will take time to pick up the pieces of your life. As it will take time for this team to trust you again. But I don't want to abandon you, Grant."

Ward hardly dared to look up and still stared at his hands. There was blood under one of his nails and he was unsure if it was his own or the blood of one of his former team mates or of the Hydra agents. Blood was blood, no means to tell from here where it came from.

"This is what I can offer you", Coulson said, ducking his head a bit to catch Ward's gaze, who finally looked up. "You won't be sent back to jail and we'll keep you with us. In a few days, we'll head to the Playground, because living on this plane is getting too risky, with Hydra gaining ground on us. The Playground will be our base of operations and this is where you'll spend the next few months."

Ward had never been at the Playground before, but he had heard that it was underground. And the thought of being kept underground for months sounded awfully like the dark hole he had been kept in since his arrest.

"Will I be able to go outside?", Ward asked quietly, something like uneasiness already creeping up on him.

"Yeah", Coulson replied, frowning earnestly. "Of course you can go outside. As I said, you won't be sent back to prison. But there will be restrictions. No solitary walks in the beginning. I want you to spend your nights in a locked room and you'll be wearing a tracker all the time. You won't have access to every room on the Playground and since there will be other agents around, I want you to stay away from them. For your own sake as well as theirs. You're not exactly Mr. Popular right now."

Ward felt himself nodding in agreement. The terms sounded fair and it would give him much more freedom than he had had in the last few months.

"I'm not yet finished", Coulson announced, looking intently at Ward. "There are three more terms. First, you'll be helping us out with information about Hydra. Even if it isn't much, I want to hear about it. Second, you won't be going on missions with us any time soon. If all goes well, you'll be allowed to help us out in the background, on the comms, but only under surveillance and only after you've gained back some trust from the team. But I don't want you back in the field, for months, maybe years. Third, you'll see a psychologist, every day in the first few months. There's someone suitable at the Playground, another agent with a lot of experience. You'll talk to her and she will afterwards report to me about your progress. The team and even I myself won't know about what you tell her, but I expect you to open up to her completely."

Already the second term had brought a frown onto Ward's face, but it was the third term that had him shake his head. He would do anything to get back to the team, but he could not do that.

"I agree with everything, sir", Ward replied, trying to keep his voice calm. "But I can't accept the last term. I'm sorry, I'll do something else, I'll..."

"It's not up for negotiation, Ward", Coulson interrupted him rather sharply. "You'll take the whole deal or it's back to prison for you."

Ward felt his heart beating in his throat and he had the unpleasant feeling that the walls were closing in on him. Coulson did not know what he was asking of him.

"You don't understand, sir", Ward began quietly, trying to keep the quivering out of his voice. "It's not that I don't want to, but I can't. It's... not possible."

"I understand that this won't be easy for you", Coulson replied, more patiently now. "But it's necessary. You're trying to get rid of a lifetime of manipulations. You can't do this alone and I want you to accept help. This is what S.H.I.E.L.D. should've done years ago. You're not only doing this for yourself, you're also doing this for the team. You're... unbalanced at the moment and I need you to work on it, because I can't have you unravel at a moment when the team's in danger. Not because you're an instrument, but because I know how much this team means to you and because I know that you don't exactly realize that you could endanger them again, but this time unwillingly. You're a protector, I know hurting them is the last thing on your mind."

Ward clenched his fists, trying to get his roaring emotions under control. Coulson did not understand, could not understand. It had taken Ward years to shut away the worst of his memories and he did not just do it out of fun, but because this was the only way he could function. Forcing him to bring all of his baggage to daylight would be nothing short of torture.

"This will destroy me!", Ward choked out, his own helplessness making him angry. "Some things are buried in the past for a good reason and this is where I want to keep them. This won't help me, it'll just make me useless. I can't help you and the team when I'm digging up the past!"

Coulson watched him intently and Ward could feel himself shaking under the gaze. He hated it, with all his heart.

"This is what I meant when I said you're unbalanced", the older man said quietly and carefully. "Believe me when I say that without help, it'll only get worse. Sticking your head in the ground won't help you, you'll need to work through it. You can't just shut out your feelings."

Ward could not help but scoff at that, then bit out sardonically, "Yeah, it's a weakness, I know. I've been told before."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized what he had said and instantly felt horrified at himself. These had been Garrett's words and they had come from deep down. He had tried to shut out the voice of his former mentor in the last three weeks, not always with the same success.

"It's okay, Grant", Coulson soothed and Ward thought that he must probably look like he had seen a ghost. Great proof for his mental sanity. "You'll work through it, I know you will. You're strong. It's Garrett's fault that he didn't see it."

Ward was torn between bolting and breaking down completely, but finally decided on staring down at his hands again. His hands that had done so many bad things... How could Coulson still believe that there was something in him worth saving?

"You'll be okay", Coulson continued. "This is one of the reason why I don't want you to come with us on missions at first. I'm not afraid that you'll betray us again, but I know that you'll need the time for yourself. You need to straighten out some things first." He paused, then asked, "Will you come with us?"

There was really only one possible answer. It was either committing himself to this one and only chance at redemption or putting a bullet through his head. And Ward had always been a survivor.

"Yes", he answered quietly, finally daring to look back up at Coulson.

"Good", the older man replied, smiling happily. "Very good."

-Fin-

Wellll... would you like an epilogue? :-) I feel like writing an epilogue...