An explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet, and Ward grabbed Skye's hand. She was soaking wet and shaking like a leaf, and when he had knocked out four of Quinn's men she had run straight to him, gripping the front of his vest with trembling hands.

"This way," he called urgently, and her cold hand clung to his. "You okay?"

She nodded, her eyes wide. "I disarmed him," she chokes out, wringing water from her hair. "Just like you taught me."

"And then?"

Something exploded somewhere to Ward's right, obliterating Skye's response, and he instinctively yanked Skye to the ground, shielding her with his body.

"Come on," Ward pulled her to his feet. "We have to get out of here. Fitzsimmons, you copy? Coulson?"

"Here," Simmons said, and even over com Ward could tell she was worried. "Is Skye with you?"

"She's here," Ward said, and then turned sharply on Skye. "You went off com, Skye. What the hell were you doing?"

"What needed to be done," she said softly, and the words stopped him in his tracks.

"What did you say?" he snapped.

"I said I did what needed to be done," Skye said, looking at him sharply as they rounded the corner of the house. "I needed him to trust me."

"Coulson," Ward shouted into the com. "Coulson, we need to get out of here!"

"I'm here." Coulson's voice was quiet, muffled.

And then suddenly the ground was solid beneath their feet once again.

Skye was still clinging to his hand, and now she sagged in relief, leaning against him briefly. "Oh, thank god. Is Coulson okay?"

Ward nodded, trying not to flinch as Skye rested briefly against his shoulder.

She noticed—why did she always notice?—and stood up straight. "Sorry—do you have some kind of… I dunno, thing with touching?"

He could feel his face twist in confusion. "Excuse me?" He yanked her by the hand, forcing her to follow him towards Coulson, who was emerging from the building, looking pale and shaken.

"I mean, you flinch anytime someone touches you," Skye said.

"We almost died—again—and that's what you're worried about? Does nothing phase you?"

Skye rolled her eyes. "Well, we're safe now"—

"Come on," he cut her off shortly. "Sir, you alright?"

Coulson's stare was blank, empty, and he still held a gun in his hands.

"Sir?"

"I had to make the hard call," he said, so quietly Ward barely caught the words.

Skye stepped away from Ward and moved next to Coulson as they made their way through the rubble of Quinn's courtyard towards the waiting plane. "AC," she said softly, and he seemed to break out of his trance. "We stopped them from unleashing the machine. That's something, right?"

Coulson almost smiled, and Ward bit his lip.

"You did well today, Skye," Coulson said as they reached the ramp onto the plane.

"She went off com," Ward interjected. "We could have lost her and we would have had no way to know."

"But you didn't," Skye said brightly. "I'm fine and we're all fine and you have personal space issues that you won't talk about and—oh, Fitzsimmons, sorry about the com. It was kind of a necessity."

Ward scowls at her retreating back as May pulls the plane up, before heading to his bunk.

"Ward?" Coulson's voice stops him. When Ward looked back, the older agent was leaning against the railing of the stairs, exhaustion written across his face. "Are you okay?"

"Just fine, sir," Ward says, his tone businesslike. What's your game? Do you think it makes you different from the others when you pretend to care?

First lesson of espionage, Garrett had told him after he had blown his cover on one mission. No one in this business cares, not really. If they know who you really are, kid, they will not hesitate to bury a bullet in your brain and then spit on your grave before they walk away. But regardless, kid, remember this—they always walk away.

"Good," Coulson said, his tone just as businesslike. "Will you find Skye and make she's coping? As her SO, you"—

"Understood, sir," Ward said quickly, turning and heading towards Skye's bunk.

Skye had already changed out of her soaking dress when he knocked and pushed open the door.

Ward tried to tap into years of learning under Garrett—what would his mentor do? What would Ward's orders be?

"You okay?" he asked, sitting gingerly on the corner of her bed.

She was still shivering slightly, and instinctively he reached out and grabbed a blanket from the bed, wrapping it around her.

She smiled cryptically up at him, and he could not guess what she was thinking.

He never could, it seemed.

"I'm alright," she said finally, grinning and poking his chest with her finger. "How about you, tin man?"

He rolled his eyes. "It was a job," he said. "A job that's done."

"Oh, yea, no big deal, anti-gravity weapon, armed thugs, psychotic billionaire who wants to turn the world upside down. Quite literally. Just another day in the life of Agent-I'm-hot-shit-Ward." She dodged the pillow he threw halfheartedly.

"No, really," he said, elbowing her. "What happened in there?"

"I told him I was working for S.H.I.E.L.D.," she said nonchalantly, and Ward choked in surprise.

"You didn't."

Skye laughed. "And he trusted me. Implicitly."

"That's why you ditched the com?"

"No, I just didn't want to listen to you the whole time, Mr. Mcgrumpy-pants," she said sarcastically, and he grinned in spite of himself. "What about you? I heard you were getting shot at." She opened her arm and wrapped the blanket around him, forcing him to move closer to her.

"Shot at," Ward said briefly. "Not shot. So that's the important thing."

Skye shook her head, her face straight as she leaned in closer. "And here I thought the bullets just bounced off your tough exterior. Oh, did I say tough? I meant warm and friendly, of course"—

He jabbed her in the ribs, but he was laughing now, harder than he had in a long time. Maybe it was simply the relief that made him loosen up—or maybe it was the way her room always seemed to catch more of the sun's light than any other room—whatever it was, he was beginning to realize he didn't care.

You're gaining her trust, Ward, he reassured himself as he listened to Skye's infectious laughter.

And when Ward looked up, he saw Coulson walking away with May, wearing a smile on his face as if this had been his intention the entire time.