FAGE 8:Soul Mates

Title: Sins of the Father

Written for: nathyfaith

Written By: Silverspoon

Rating: M (for language)

Summary/Prompt used: Person A travels to visit his/her family after some tragic events and meets Person B.

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Their feet pounded the floor of the hallway in perfect unison, and an almost exhilarated smile lit up Daisy's face as she reached for Ward's hand to pull him along. She was surprised to find that she was leading him by a hair, although he had the added disadvantage of wielding an ICER to stop the oncoming S.W.O.R.D. agents whilst Daisy needed only to throw out her hand.

Body after body hit the floor, all unconscious rather than dead, since the latter couldn't be reconciled with Daisy's conscience. It seemed, however, that their opposition held no such reservations, and bullet after bullet whistled past the pair, who were forced to duck continually into doorways to avoid being shot.

"You were kidding about the Coulson thing, right?" Daisy demanded, pressing her back against the closed doorway they had just flung themselves into in order to avoid another hale of bullets.

Ward only shot her a look, which suggested that it was neither the time nor place to discuss the matter.

They made a move to run from the doorway they sheltered in but as they stepped out Ward spied a rogue agent, gun drawn in their direction. Reacting on instinct, he shoved Daisy back against the door, arching over her as to cover her body with his own as bullets sailed towards them. Taking aim, he fired a series of ICER bursts at the S.W.O.R.D. agent, and the man fell to the ground, quickly joined by a colleague who had rushed to his aid. Feeling her chest rising and falling rapidly against his, Daisy lifted her eyes to Ward's, a myriad of emotions coursing through her, some she had thought long ago extinguished.

"When we get out of here," she began uncertainly, pausing to send a wave of energy toward three agents who had just rounded the corner, "maybe you could stick around?"

"Maybe," Ward agreed, and the tiny yet significant smile that passed between them made his heart flutter.

Ward instantly flattened himself against her as another shower of bullets assaulted them.

"If we get out of here," Daisy corrected herself, her smile chagrined.

"We're getting out of here," said Ward, a ring of confidence to his tone. He gestured with his head to another trio of approaching agents, his smile amused as he queried, "Do you think you could...?"

Daisy grinned and, before making any other movement, she grabbed the back of Ward's neck and dragged him down to her, pressing her lips against his in a brief yet thoroughly fevered kiss. Ward, too astounded to return the gesture, simply seemed to melt into her forceful embrace. All too soon, Daisy drew away from him, a smile affecting her kiss plumped lips.

"I said I might die," she murmured, a somewhat warped echo from another day, one that now seemed like such an impossibly long time ago. Uncertainly, Ward leaned forwards and pressed a gentle, almost shy kiss to her bottom lip.

"Not on my watch, Agent Johnson," he promised.

Wordlessly, Ward stepped back into the doorway, clearing a path for Daisy, who stepped out into the gunfire with a purposeful look spread across her features. The syringe that Ward had injected her with had been nothing more than the same mild sedative he had used on Cal. The vial of serum he had discussed with Brand had been a complete fabrication, dreamed up by he and Daisy as the two former enemies plotted their way in to the organisation with double crosses and lies. The truth was, Ward had always been with Skye, from the moment Abigail Brand had tried to pull him into the whole fiasco back in England. His end game remained the same; protect Skye at all costs, even if she would never be his.

Daisy raised her hand and time seemed to stand still. Ward watched in unchecked amazement as the bullets flying towards the woman stopped dead in the air, seemingly frozen in time. They hung, spinning and twisting still, before clattering to the floor completely harmlessly, at least two feet away from their mark.

The three S.W.O.R.D. agents who crouched at the end of the corridor exchanged glances, their expressions fearful as they gazed at the petite but evidently deadly young woman facing them down.

"Now, boys, Mom said no rough housing," Daisy tutted, all of her usual snark present as she waved the very same hand and a loud series of clicks resounded in the small space. Every one of the agents let out a yelp of surprise as his weapon dropped to the ground from between his fingers, completely disassembled.

"I'll never get tired of that," Daisy sighed, obviously pleased.

"Holy shit..." one of the men stammered, suddenly seeming to think better of his position. He clambered unsteadily to his feet, practically falling over his own body as he turned tail and ran out of sight.

"Shall we?" Daisy turned to Ward, waiting with a wry smile in place as he dropped an approaching guard to the ground in less then two moves. The pair made their way down the seemingly endless hall, until they came to a conveniently located fire exit. Kicking down the door and then gesturing for her to go ahead of him.

"You know I could have just..." Daisy gestured to her hand, indicating the door behind them, and letting him know that she could have had it off its hinges in less than a few seconds.

"And spoil all of my fun?" Ward inquired, his hand landing on her shoulder as he lowered his mouth to her ear, "although I have to admit, watching you do that is... kind of hot."

Daisy laughed, rolling her eyes at his comment even as she felt a blush flash across her cheeks. Turning on her heel, she waved her hand in one fluid movement and the door slammed shut again. Daisy clenched her fingers and there was a loud, metallic screech from the direction of the fire exit, before the sound of fists pounding on it could be heard from the other side.

"The lock should hold for a little while at least," Daisy stated, shrugging as she turned to Ward, a worried expression spreading across her features. "How's my dad?"

Ward slipped his arm through hers and ushered her towards a copse of bushes ringing the building, listening to the sounds of an alarm beginning to blare from inside.

"Kebo sent me a message whilst you were... Indisposed..." Ward replied, his voice barely a whisper, "he's not great. Woke once a few hours after we left, tried to break out of his restraints, and screamed himself hoarse for a half hour straight. Kebo administered another sedative but..."

"We need to get back there," Daisy fretted, her eyes widening as she peered up into Ward's face.

"First off, we need to concentrate on not getting shot," Ward murmured, ducking low in the bushes as he watched a small team of men, all dressed in black tac gear, filter out of the main door of the building.

"How the hell do we get out of here?" Daisy whispered, gesturing to the main gate, where a guard was loading a rifle as he conversed with someone via radio. "It's not like we can just drive out the way we came in."

"Didn't plan on it," Ward replied, suddenly pointing upwards and shaking Daisy's arm lightly, "looks like our ride is here."

The couple stood up from their hiding place, watching as the jet landed in a perfect vertical descent in the inner quadrangle of the building. Almost immediately, figures dressed in S.H.I.E.L.D. tactical gear swarmed from the plane and Daisy resisted the urge to pump her fist in the air.

Hunter and Bobbi headed the group, racing toward the sound of gunfire with their weapons drawn in readiness. May shouted orders across the ground, pausing to take down one guard who stood in her path. They disappeared into the building, amid the sound of alarms ringing furiously and the yells of fleeing S.W.O.R.D. personnel as they ran for the doors and lower ground floor windows.

"Let's go!" Ward directed, once again turning his body toward the source of the fray in case stray bullets were to head in their direction. With their hands clasped together, they ran toward the familiar figure who stood in the open hangar of the plane. Coulson watched them with obvious interest, and Daisy found herself fearful of the response that not only she but also the man beside her would receive.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Coulson asked, dispensing with any pleasantries as the pair boarded the plane.

Daisy nodded, taking a deep breath as she said hurriedly, "D.C., I... I'm sorry. But I had to try to help him. He's my father."

Coulson stared at her and the coldness in his eyes scared her. His jaw set and he slammed a button on the side of the wall, which set a whirring sound in motion that signified that the door was closing.

"Ward filled me in about the antidote," Coulson stated, his gaze ticking to Ward for just a moment, "did you get it?"

"I got it," Daisy replied meekly, fishing around in the pocket of her jeans and finally holding aloft the vial that perhaps promised to hold the key to her father's recovery.

"Good," Coulson sniffed, suddenly grabbing at the tie he wore around his neck and loosening it with the fingers of one hand. With his free hand, he pointed accusingly at Daisy, his eyes narrowed and his fury radiating from his body in waves, "Because you're in a world of trouble, young lady."

"Figured as much," she said quietly, although thoughts of her father were quickly outstripping her concern for anyone or anything else. Gazing up in what she hoped was a pitiful and pleading manner, she murmured, "We could use a ride?"

Watching the pair with an expression of deep concern etched across his face, Coulson noted that their hands were still joined and, unlike the last time that Grant Ward had been in Daisy's presence, a strange resolution seemed to have taken place between them.

"And when did you two become 'we'?" he asked, watching as Daisy looked at Ward as if suddenly realising that their hands were entwined. Ward looked uneasy, and he steadied himself for her to come to her senses. Instead, she clutched onto him tighter.

"Ward helped me. He saved my ass a couple of times back there," Daisy stated, her chin tilted back defiantly, as if she was waiting to have to fight and stand her ground to allow him to remain with her.

"We've been here before, Daisy. We know how this ends. Ward... can't be trusted," Coulson warned firmly, ignoring the fact that the man in question was standing only feet away.

Daisy shook her head, her eyes blazing as she retorted, "You're wrong, Coulson. We never really gave him a chance."

"You want me to give the guy who betrayed us all to Hydra a second chance?" Coulson repeated incredulously, his nose wrinkled as he stared at Daisy, almost aghast at the suggestion.

"Why is it that everyone else gets one, but not him, huh?" Daisy demanded, her voice raised until she was almost shouting in the director's face, "Bobbi, Hunter, May... Me? You can forgive us all our transgressions but Grant Ward is just a step too far? Is that it?"

"Skye..." Ward said softly, his free hand touching her knee in an attempt to attract her attention.

"Oh so he can call you Skye?" Coulson demanded, eyes shooting to Ward, who only leaned back against the wall of the plane, choosing to remain silent.

"My God, you are petty," Daisy snapped, chuckling and shaking her head in disbelief, "I am asking you to trust me on this... On him!"

"Trust you?" Coulson shouted back, an amused yet enraged smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "you defied my orders, stole my jet and abandoned it in a field, hospitalised one of my agents, and took off with a known murderer. How the hell do you expect me to trust you?"

"You were going to kill my father!" Daisy screamed, her eyes flashing as she jumped to her feet, panting heavily and glaring at Coulson with such unchecked fury that he almost took a cautious step backward.

Lowering his chin to his chest, Coulson stared down at the ground, purposefully avoiding the woman's furious gaze as he realised the awful truth in her words. Though he could attempt to defend his actions, which were morally dubious to say the least, he knew deep down that perhaps some of his motives were rooted in jealousy. Coulson could be many things to Daisy; mentor, confidante, and friend, but he could never be her father. He would never share her history or her blood in the way that Cal did. His smile was evident on the young woman's face, and he was there in the depths of her brown eyes. And, even through the terrible things he had done, he still remained her father - a man whose motives had been rooted in tragedy and loss; in a parent grieving for their cherished daughter. Coulson had no such nobility or humanity in his reasoning.

"I'm sorry," he offered weakly. "What I did was... But I swear I had no idea about the poison. If I had, you have to believe me, I'd have done everything in my power to help him."

Daisy took a step forward, aligning herself with Coulson's body so that barely centimetres separated them. Peering up into his face with unchecked sorrow, she said quietly, "Why should I trust you when you can't do the same for me?"

There was a moment of heavy silence and Ward averted his gaze from the two warring agents, almost confident that both had forgotten his presence. Finally, Coulson reached out a hand and placed it on Daisy's shoulder before sliding it up to cup her cheek in an affectionate, paternal gesture.

"I am sorry," Coulson said, his eyes momentarily closing under the weight of his guilt, "I was callous and unfeeling, and I almost cost you everything. Please believe that I never once suspected that there was anything other than shoddy TAHITI programming at work here. I didn't know about S.W.O.R.D. or Brand, but now I hope you'll give me a chance to put this right."

Daisy thought over his proposition and seemingly heartfelt apology, and slowly nodded in agreement. On impulse, she pulled herself up onto her toes and wrapped her arms around Coulson's neck in a tight hug, drawing back once he had returned the embrace.

"You know, D.C., having my dad in my life doesn't make you any less special to me," she informed him, smiling at the almost shy expression her boss returned to her. "There's room for both of you. I spent years with nobody to look out for me, nobody on this entire planet who loved me, and now I've got all these people to care about me, and... you just, you can't have too many people to love or love you back."

"I'll go and speak to the pilot, we'll be at the cabin in less than thirty minutes. I'll have Jemma put together some supplies and she'll come and check in on him every day. Whatever you need... you just ask me. Okay?"

"Okay," Daisy agreed, her eyes trailing off toward Ward as she inclined her head and added in a gentle yet pointed manner, "So... does that include cutting Ward some slack?"

Inhaling slowly, Coulson turned his gaze to the former specialist and against his better judgement, nodded.

"For now. But you hurt this girl again, Ward, and I will end you. Am I making myself clear?"

Ward bowed his head, hoping his former boss could see the sincerity in his eyes. "Yes, sir."

"Where to, sir?" the pilot of the Quinjet called out over his shoulder, clearly deciding that it was perhaps only now safe to interject. Coulson glanced at Daisy, offering her a small smile.

"Daisy?" he queried, gesturing to the front of the jet, where the pilot waited patiently to input the co-ordinates of her safe house which, despite a week of his best efforts, Coulson had failed to locate.

Shooting the director a final grin, Daisy set out to the co-pilot's seat, pausing only momentarily to glance at Ward, who was watching her with an unreadable expression playing across his features.

"Sorry, sir, but..." she began, eyes gleaming as she continued to stare at the former specialist, "it's Skye."

Torn between smiling at the use of her old name, and groaning at the administrative issues she was once again about to cause him, Coulson settled for shrugging helplessly at Ward.

"I only just had the names changed on her tac. gear."