From Darkness into the Light
Spoilers: All Episodes, mainly focused on the 1x21 "Ragtag" promo
Disclaimer: I don't really own anything here.
Desperate to do something, Ward started engaging the lone Avenger in talk of escape. It didn't take long for the archer to start formulating ideas because they were both desperate to help the woman they loved get away from the madman. Ward told him they could take out guards and collected weapons but the archer told him it was too risky as Garrett would be anticipating it and could kill both Skye and Natasha.
Hours seemed like days as they waited, locked up unable to escape. As if to prove they were weak, Garrett would come in every couple of hour and give them a glimpse of the area outside the door. It was crawling with men, more than both could take down together and if that wasn't enough, the man did gloat that he'd kill Natasha and Skye the moment they tried anything.
The door opened after half a day had gone, at least they thought it was half a day. Garrett stood in the doorway and smirked, "come on Son, time to say your goodbyes." A HYDRA agent walked in and pulled him up, he twisted out of the man's grip.
Ward was walking to the medical room and he found Skye laying on the gurney with cuts on her body, blood on the sheet that covered the bed she laid on. She looked as pale as when she'd been shot and there were multiple wired attached to her. Garrett nodded to Raina as he stood against the wall, Ward stood by Skye's bed. "Skye?"
Her eyed open and he found brown pools staring at him, she looked weak and her eyes spelled pain. "Grant?"
"I'm so sorry." He cracked at that moment and grabbed her hand, his other going to her head. "I only wanted to protect you, help you and it…" he looked down away from her until he felt a weak grip from her hand.
"I love you, it's not your fault…I shouldn't have insisted on coming." She whispered and he leaned over, kiss her head as tears fell from his eyes onto her forehead.
The sound of gunshots made Garrett turn, an agent ran in and looked at him. "What is going on?"
"SWORD is here sir." The agent spoke and Garrett looked over at Raina, who started to fill a syringe as Garrett pulled Ward away from Skye.
The specialist tried to fight but instead was instantly subdued by the man who was part machine and part field agent, Garrett put Ward in a headlock and made him watch as Raina injected Skye with something.
"Skye…" Her eyes focused on him and he watched as her brown eyes started to dull, life seeping from them. "Skye…no, what are you doing to her?" He struggled but the arm around his neck got tighter.
"Doing what should have been done 25 years ago by killing a monster." Ward struggled and managed to get loose only to get over to Skye as her breath because softer and softer. "Skye…" he watched as life drained from her eyes and her chest stopped moving.
Gripping the bed he closed his eyes and was bombarded with images of Skye's laughter and smile, the knowledge that he had caused those to disappear forever. He opened his eyes and gently covered her eyes, allowing her eyelids to fall over the lifeless eyes that often made him smile. Kissing her head he closed his eyes. "I love you and I'll never stop."
"Get over her Son, she was nothing but a monster disguised as a human girl."
Opening his eyes again, Ward let every emotion he'd ever felt just disappear and he focused solely on the monster that stolen his entire life. Turning, he quickly descended on Garrett without mercy using every ounce of rage remaining from the Berserker staff, all his training and the pain of losing the only person he'd ever loved. His former SO seemed overwhelmed within seconds, trying to fight a man who had nothing left to lose, after a while he got the weapon from Garrett and shot the man between the eyes. As he fell, Ward turned to Raina and nodded to Skye. "Revive her now!"
Raina looked between Skye and the weapon before quickly injecting Skye with a blue liquid, no doubt the artificial GH-325 from the hard drive that he'd helped deliver before his turn. He watched as Skye lay still before jerking, breathing in with a gasp.
The doors busted open and Coulson himself moved in with Trip behind him. He paused at seeing the scene laid before them, of Skye laying on a blood-ridden, Garrett lying dead with a bullet wound to his head and Ward holding a gun on Raina.
"Ward?"
"They killed her sir, I just made Raina revive her with the synthesized GH-325."
Raina shook her head, "she's never should have been saved, you've unleashed something unhuman on this world."
"Like you haven't done any worse." Ward fired the weapon and instantly the bullet lodged itself in the woman's chest.
He dropped the weapon and started unhooking Skye from all the equipment, pulling her into his arms. She groaned as he gently jostled her and Coulson nodded and looked to Trip beside him.
"Get them out of here."
"Come on man."
Ward pressed a kiss to Skye's head and walked out of the room with Skye in his arms. May and Hill both stood in the hallway surrounded by down men, other SWORD agents stood nearby. They looked up at seeing Ward carrying Skye in his arms, she was limp and unresponsive to everything around her. Hill was immediately over to them, "what did they do to her?"
"They killed her for information," Ward held Skye tighter in his arms. "They revived her with the GH-325 compound once they were at gunpoint. Get out of my way Director Hill…"
He walked around her without another word and headed to the nearest exit to get Skye into a vehicle and back to the Bus. Simmons needed to see Skye and help her while he turned himself over to Coulson, he betrayed them all and harmed Skye. He'd pay for it as soon as she was in the care of their physician where she could heal properly and stay safe, even from him.
It was hours of standing by Skye as Simmons oversaw her care before Coulson showed up. The man seemed interested in knowing what happened and Ward expected him to already know, he had expected Romanoff and Barton to spill what happened. Instead Coulson just asked him straight as they stood in the lab, almost as if he was clueless.
"I made a mistake sir." Ward looked down at the floor, "I let Garrett get to me, convince me he could deactivate Skye and I believed him…" Looking up he found Coulson staring at him, "I was so eager to protect her, to let her be normal again that I handed her over. I don't expect your forgiveness or your trust, I abused that the moment I took her off this plane. I think it best I stay away from Skye, preferably in a holding cell where I can't hurt her or anyone else anymore." Shrugging he looked at the man with defeat, "let Hill take me to prison and throw away the key. If not that, I deserve a bullet for what I did to Skye."
Coulson looked over at Simmons, "is Skye stable?"
"Yes sir but it will be a long recovery." The physician gave a small smile before going back to work on cleaning Skye's wounds.
"Follow me, now." Coulson turned to leave and Ward followed.
They made it to the man's office and he pointed to a chair where Ward sat immediately, Coulson sat across from him. "Sir…"
"I want you to shut up and listen to me Agent Ward." Coulson leaned forward and clasped his hands together. "You made a mistake and it nearly cost you everything you love. It would hurt us all but Skye is the very thing keeping you grounded so unlike us you can't detach. I don't know what Garrett said but it must have been pretty damn convincing for you to endanger Skye, I'm sorry you were put in that position."
Ward shook his head, "I watched the life drain from her eyes and her chest stop moving. I would have traded placed with her in an instant. She didn't blame me before she stopped breathing, she just said she loved me before blaming herself."
"She knew you wouldn't have done it without some type of hope that she'd be fine. Garrett used you to get what he wanted and you fell for it. I think that watching Skye die was punishment enough and I'm not letting you run away from your mistake. You're going to stay here with us and protect her as best you can, I understand she's strong headed and has a mind of her own but Skye needs you as much as you need her."
"I'm poison to her sir."
Coulson stood and chuckled, "your only weakness is that you love her too much. Now get out of my office and go help Simmons, you know how exasperating Skye can be as a patient." He stood walked out of the room to head to the med pod where Simmons was keeping Skye. After he left, May stepped into the office and folded her arms. "You think I went soft on him don't you?"
"No," May walked over to the desk and shook her head slightly. "You did him a favor, you prevented him from running away yet again. Between you and Skye I'm sure he'll make it."
A/N: Okay...so Skye made it but only after she died.
Next we seek her trying to talk to Ward while he tried to pull away from her, leading to an emotional fight that neither can escape.
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