* The sound of the silence. Paul Simons and Garfunkel*

Silence, old friend... Where are you? Why you leave me like the rest?

Three men in different rooms had the same thought in the middle of the night, all of them are missing a girl:The youngest was missing the girl he loves, but she was gone. The other remember the girl who loves him, but he hurt her a lot. The oldest needs the woman he loves to help him to keep the demons away, but his girl was searching the girl was lost, and the broken one was avoiding the man inside the vault.

The symbols behind his eyelids burn his brain like the hell himself, and the silence in his room hurt him more, his shaky hands make him draw things unknown, letters from the space, languages who nobody talks, sounds built of silence, driving him crazy.

"Why do you want to put him out from the Vault?" Coulson asks growling Tuesday morning.

"Why do you need him captive like some Sick animal?" She answered looking at him all serious .

"Because He's a traitor, a dangerous traitor?"

"Really Phillip? That's your excuse?"

"Why do you want him out?" he asked again, this one will be the third time they talk about the same theme in the last two months.

"I told you before, He's not an animal, and if you keep him there for another month, you better start to build him a coffin..."

"Who's asking this, the friend or the Doctor, Alicia?"

"Both" she answer knowing he'll upset in seconds.

"That's unacceptable" he answer back furious like hell

"Why did you ask my opinion, then Phillip? If you'll ignore me, why did you bring me here?"

"You know why..."

"Hell, I did! So Mr. Selfish , why are you making me analyze your team then?"

"You... you..."

"Shut the hell up, and roll your sleeve, you need another test"

"Fine!" he bark later she was labeling the samples.

"So, your last episode was?" she asks in her Doctor mode holding her note pad.

"Two weeks ago" he answers

"Phillip..." She said looking at him in silence.

"Last Sunday" He lie and she gives him an angry look, bad, he thinks.

"Phillip...!"

"Three days ago" damn walking-talking lie detector.

"Her absence makes you sick, Don't you?"

"Her?, What are you talking about?"

"Really? Maybe the others are so busy with their own problems Director, but you bring me here to watch you closely, so... Did you really think I'll ignore all those small touches, low voice talkings, and the noises from your bunk?" He turned all red "It's Ok, your secret is safe with me"

"What do you want in change Alicia?"

"You already know..."

"Fine, but you'll have to explain that to the girls"

"When they came back, I'll "

"Fine!"

"Any news about your lost agent?"

"No, looks like Simmons was banished from the earth" the sadness was evident in his voice, "How was Fitz these days?"

"Better, he was talking more, but not to the humans, sadly"

"Your dog is helping him a lot"

"Yeah, Kala is a great Therapy Dog, she makes a bridge between him and the exterior"

"Sure she does!"

"The bad thing is, you give her your hand, and she bites your feet at the same time"

"Let he discovered that Ali, he needs friends, and she needs him" he said before jumping down from the gurney and getting out from the room.

By the next morning, just like she orders, the prisoner can be out, and two days later, Ward was sick, like really sick. For the next three days, he needs electrolytes for the fever, antibiotics for the infection and a new place to sleep. Slowly he came conscious again and start to eat by himself. Fitz was always watching him with the D.W.A.R.F.S.

"Is nice to see you in one piece"

"Its nice to see you alive"

"Why you don't let me die Dorothy?"

"How can I TikTok?, You're my friend, my only friend..."

"I'm a monster"

"Me too robot"

"I don't deserve to be here!"

"Why?"

"I hurt them Alicia, I broke Skye's heart, I hurt May, I betray Coulson, and I kill Fitz and Simmons"

"They're not dead!" she said, but he can't hear her, he was having another panic attack.

Darkness just like when he was in the closet in his house, crying after a big "Mommy love treatment", blood running free in his back. Just like darkness in the woods after Garret drops him there, alone the first night. Darkness just like cancer, growing inside of him, until she becomes his only light. Now the darkness was eating him alive because he trust in the wrong man. Outside, Fitz was listening, after all this time Ward still has regrets... why he can? After all, he was a cold blooded assassin or Jemma was wrong with that too?

*They're not dead* Alicia signed to Grant several minutes later

*They're I throw them down to the ocean* his answer back

*They survive TikTok*

*Why are you here?*

*The girl goes to an undercover mission, so Phillip brings me here, and Fitz is outside with Matilda and Kala*

*I hurt him a lot*

*Why did you do it?* Alicia signed to him, ignoring Fitz in the door.

*Garret... I do it because of him, I try to put them safe, or he will make me kill them... You know how was him, and the things he loved to do* She look at the Ingeneer.

*They didn't know him Ward, they didn't know... with Garret's orders we don't have choice*

*He told me that... he looked me in the eyes... But I don't have any choice*

"I know that now" Fitz say loud and clear, using his voice for the first time in months.

"Can you forgive me?" Ward asks almost crying again.

"I don't know yet" Fitz answer slowly " But I'll try"

"I'll understand if you can't"

"TikTok has a heart?" Fitz says smiling

"Wait a minute, you can sign?" *My best friend was deaf, so, yes, and I read him the book when we have 12*

"TikTok has one" Ward answer, smiling sadly "But he makes a mess with her"

"Her? Tall, brunette, bad temper and always talking..."

"Very funny Dorothy... very funny" he answers.

*You're not in Kansas anymore*

"Not, we don't" Alicia says to the boys with a smile.

It was midnight past when Alicia and Fitz finally let Ward 's room, and walk quietly to the lab.

"You said, when you.." he says " You ne... ne.. need me, why?"

"I do!"

"I'm useless A... A... Ali...A..."

"Call me Ali, and you don't. You're smart"

"Too da... da... damaged here" he taps his head.

"No! Fitz, you're more than a damaged brain. You're smart, your brain still works"

"No, he don't, can't talk... good"

"But you know how make us understand you, you need to learn to communicate with us again, you know how"

"How?"

"Imaginary Library"

"What?"

"Your brain is the same, but the bridge between him and your mouth was broken Leo, but you know how rebuild that again. All your knowledge was there, and he comes to you when you need him"

"How ?"

"Why are you signing to us?"

*Because I need to say things to you*

"There's the key word, you need Leo, you NEED to talk, but you can't, so, your brain remembers how to sign, and make you sign. Please let me help you"

"How?"

"I can design some therapy for you, to help you to talk properly again"

"Talk?"

"I can sign, but the others don't"

*I understand, so you help me and I have to help you?*

"If you want"

*Why did you need me, and why are you here?*

"Take a sit friend, this will be a very long night"...

The story freaks out Fitz, but now, he was ready to start again, maybe it wasn't too late to fight for the team, perhaps Jemma was giving up on him, but Ali brings him some hope, and, maybe when Jemma comes back, she can see him like the old himself... just maybe... The silence, the darkness and the fear can give him a second chance, he can be a word again, not the sad useless sound of the silence of a broken man.