A.N: I SUCK! I officially am the worst fanfic writer EVER! I promised that this story would get attention and it did and this chapter has kind of been sitting there... I didn't know if to re-write the whole damn thing and just end it or if I wanted to continue with my original idea or if I wanted to re-work it to take it in a new direction. I've decided to do both... Take it in a bit of a new direction while still continuing in the same vein of mystery... this might be a little longer than expected but now I'm determined to finish it. Plus it'll be nice to have my own little AU world while the show is breaking my freaking heart every week starting Sep. 23rd! Stick with me guys... please don't give up on me. I just hope you guys are still here...

Coulson and May pulled up to the motel and parked the car.

"What are you going to tell them?" she asked before turning off the car.

"The truth."

"The whole truth?" she asked.

"What is the whole truth at this point?" Coulson responded. He opened the door to the car and stepped outside, walking toward the pool area. He found Skye sitting on a chair with Fitz, Simmons and Triplett hanging out behind her.

She looked up. Her eyes widened and she stood rushing toward him, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh thank God!"

He closed his arms around her just as tightly. "I'm glad to see you too."

Pulling back, she looked over his shoulder to find May standing behind him. "What the hell happened? Did you find Ward and Garrett?"

"Garrett is dead," Coulson answered.

"And Ward?" she asked slowly.

Coulson looked over his shoulder at May who nodded. He turned back to with a frown. "Ward killed him…." He answered. "He saved my life."

She took a step back from him. "Ward saved you?" she bit her lip. "What does that mean? Where is he?"

"He's gone."

"Gone?" she asked.

"He disappeared."

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay… I forgive you… It's okay… Shh… it's okay…"

"You don't understand," Ward looked up with a frown. "It was my mission."

"Who gave you this mission?" Coulson asked. "Garrett?"

Ward shook his head. "I can't tell you."

"Grant…" Coulson tried. "You have to tell me the truth. Why did you do it?"

"It was my mission," Ward answered. "I've been deep undercover for years, Coulson."

"For who, Grant?"

"I'm sorry…" Ward answered. "I'm sorry you got hurt… that everything is so screwed up… but someday… someday, you'll understand."

"Ward…"

"I have to go," Ward shook his head.

"You're just going to leave?" Coulson asked his retreating figure."What am I supposed to tell her?"

Ward stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Tell her I did it all for her."

"What the hell does that mean?" Skye asked. "That he just disappeared?"

"He knows what he's done," May walked up to her. "He knows that he would have to pay for his crimes…."

"Yeah…" Skye said. "He has to pay for his crimes. How could you just let him go?" She sat down in the chair she'd been sitting at and put her head in her hands. "Garrett is really dead?"

Coulson nodded.

"Good," She muttered.

"Skye…"

"Am I safe?" she cut Coulson off.

"We'd never let anything happen to you," he answered. "I'd never let anything happen to you…"

"That doesn't exactly answer my question, does it?"

"You're safe with us," May answered.

Skye nodded and stood up. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me when we have to leave."

Coulson and May watched her as she walked down the hall toward one of the rooms they'd booked. Fitz, Simmons and Triplett watched the entire exchange from afar. The trio looked to Coulson and May for answers but the older pair ignored them and went to their own rooms for the night.

"What was that about?" Triplett asked.

"I don't know…" Jemma said.

"I suppose it had something to do with Ward," Fitz answered.

"Maybe he's dead," Triplett shrugged.

Fitz glared at him. "Despite what's happened, he was our friend. And Skye loved him. If he's dead… we're going to have to be there for her…. She's going to need us to-"

"Fitz…" Simmons tried.

He shrugged off her hand and shook his head. "Ward was our friend. He's saved us all countless times."

She frowned but didn't respond.

"I'm going to bed, Jemma. Are you staying?"

"Just for a little while longer," she looked back at Triplett who smiled softly.

Fitz scoffed before standing and stalking off toward his room.

He stared at the burner phone in his hand with narrowed eyes. It would only be a matter of time before news of Garrett's death would reach him. He'd wait all night if he had to. Garrett was dead. His mission was complete. He wanted to go home. But where was home?

The ringing disrupted his thoughts. He answered the phone and lifted it to his ear slowly. "I'm done."

"No, you are not, Agent Ward," The harsh voice said on the other line. "Far from it in fact… your mission is still active."

"You lied to me."

"I didn't lie."

"You didn't give me all the information."

"I gave you what was need to know…"

"Skye being the 0-8-4 I was sent to find and protect?" he asked. "That wasn't need to know?"

The voice sighed. "I didn't know that. But thank you for reporting it. I had no idea Coulson was keeping secrets from me."

"With all due respect, sir. You deserve it for keeping so many secrets from him."

"Touché," the voice chuckled.

"What the hell do you still need me for?" Ward asked.

"Do you think this is over?" the anger on the line could be felt despite the miles between them. "Do you think Garrett was the only one? He was your in, Grant… your foot in the door of the organization… you need to take his place."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you'll be a fugitive on the run from two organizations…. Not just one…"

"You son of a bitch," Ward muttered.

"Yeah, I get that a lot… listen… I can only protect you so much, kid…. You're on your own after tonight… if you decide not to do this… I can't do anything else for you… but if you stay on… I can make sure it's all worth it in the end. That it wasn't all in vain."

"I've been doing this for years…"

"Exactly… you've come this far…"

"I want to see it through to the end," Ward answered defiantly. "I want to make sure she's safe."

"Garrett was only interested in her after he found out she was an 0-8-4… did he tell anyone else?"

"Damn it," Ward responded, leaning forward rubbing his face. "Raina… he told Raina… they were sleeping together."

"You have to take her out."

"She's not going to be happy with me. I did kill her boyfriend," Ward frowned.

"She doesn't need to know it was you. I can make it look like it was S.H.I.E.L.D. Where's the body now?"

"Safe house in Portland."

"And where are you?"

"Safe house in Portland."

"You went back? Damn… you really are a sick and twisted-"

Ward glanced up at the body on the floor. "I've been staring at that son of a bitch… just biding my time before I burn this entire place to the ground."

"I'll send a team."

Ward laughed. "What team? You don't have a team. Not anymore. As far as anyone is concerned… you're as dead as Garrett."

"I still have resources. I'll use them. But you can't be there when they arrive. They will take you in."

"Understood."

"So get the hell out of there, Grant… Go back to Raina and tell her S.H.I.E.L.D. attacked you and that you barely got out alive. Make it look believable."

"Yes, sir."

"And Grant?"

He waited quietly.

"We'll keep in touch."

She tossed and turned on the bed. She couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see his face. He was standing in front of her holding a gun, pulling the trigger, laughing. The nightmares hadn't changed much. Sometimes it was Quinn, others Garrett but a lot of times it was him. She sat up in bed and looked at the clock on the night stand next to her. It was a quarter past five. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her covers and putting on the sandals she kept by her bed that she'd just purchased down the street from the motel in a convenience store.

She stepped outside and walked toward the pool area to find a familiar figure lounging by the pool eating a bag of chips. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

He looked back with a smile. "I get hungry in the middle of the night."

"And go straight for the junk food, it seems," She smiled. "Mind if I sit?"

He shook his head with a smile. "Not at all, Agent Skye."

She smiled sadly and sat in a lounge chair next to him. He offered her the bag of chips and she stuck her hand in with a smile. "Thanks."

"What's got you up so late?" he asked. "Bad dreams?"

"The worst," she frowned before munching on the chips she'd taken from him.

"Is it about him?"

She swallowed. "Sometimes…"

"But other times?"

"They're about Garrett too," she shuddered. "And Quinn…. And who my real parents are… Didn't you hear? I'm dangerous."

He shook his head. "I don't think you're dangerous."

She cracked a smile. "Stick around…. I might surprise you."

"You do surprise me."

She snapped her head toward him to catch him smiling.

"You surprise me… every single day," he answered. "You're stronger than you think… you found out your S.O. was a traitor and you held it together."

"You should have seen me in my room… I was hysterical," she answered playing with the new pajama pants she'd bought earlier. They were uncomfortable… cheap. "May practically had to come calm me down."

Triplett laughed. "I can't picture Agent May handing out relationship advice."

"She wasn't," Skye shrugged. "She just understood because she and Grant…"

Skye looked at him with a shrug.

"Really?" Triplett asked.

Skye nodded. "It was a while ago… I don't think it was serious. They didn't act like it was."

"So she could understand that level of betrayal…"

Skye nodded.

"You know I can too, right?" Triplett asked. "Understand… I mean…"

She nodded. "Your S.O. screwed you over just like mine did… I know…"

"I wasn't in love with my S.O."

She shook her head. "No… you weren't…"

"But I still understand that level of betrayal…" Triplett answered. "Garrett was like a father to me."

"I'm really sorry he's dead." Skye told him. "But I'm not sorry at the same time. Does that make me an awful person?"

"No," he shook his head. "It just makes you human."

"I don't think I'm even actually human…"

"Actually… I think you're the most human out of all of us."

He watched her from afar. It'd been easy to find where they'd gone to hide. Coulson had taught them all the same. Cheap motel, nothing extravagant, blend in… stay close… He'd only had to check a few hotels before he'd found one with Triplett sitting out front like the loyal, watchful protector that he was. And then she'd come out and sat down next to the other agent.

And they'd talked.

And talked.

And he wanted nothing more than to go over there and explain everything. He wanted to tell her the whole truth and make her understand why he did it. Why he had to do it. Why he was still doing it.

He'd called Raina to tell her what happened. She hadn't taken it well. He promised that he'd be back within a couple days but honestly, he was giving her time that she needed. He hated Garrett and he hated her but he wasn't a complete monster. He knew she was devoted to Garrett.

Being with Raina was part of his mission. It was part of his duplicity. He'd used her much in the same way that he'd used May. But that didn't mean he didn't care about her feelings. That didn't mean he didn't feel any guilt over what happened. She cared about Garrett. She may have even loved him. She would want revenge. And he'd have to placate her. That meant more people would have to die in order for him to keep his cover inside the organization.

His new mission was to find out who it was that Garrett was reporting to. Garrett never told him. But he knew it wasn't Alexander Pierce. There was someone else above Pierce. And that someone couldn't know about Skye. He'd make it his mission for no one to ever find out about her. Whoever she was… whatever she was… he'd vowed to protect her with his life. He'd vowed to protect her long before he knew she was who he'd been sent to find and protect. Knowing the truth only further cemented that mission.