AN: Thank you for all of the reviews! I love how some of you are keeping up with the details! I better be extra careful ;)

To the guest who left me the long review, first off thank you for the review. Secondly, sorry you're having a difficult time reading this, but I personally love stories where the character is broken and overcomes the obstacles set before them. I think it makes them admirable. Anyways, please feel free to PM me if you want to talk.

I'm sorry this chapter is somewhat short. As I mentioned, I'm studying for a huge test, but I hope the quality makes up for the length.

Warning: Small, slightly intense scene…This picks up right where the other chapter left off.

Chapter 11 Two Steps Forward…

He had her front pinned against the wall, his hand tangled in her hair, as he whispered in her ear, "No one's going to want you after what I've done with you. You are all used up and have nothing to offer." Skye closed her eyes as she struggled to ignore the words that had become so familiar and believable, trying to desperately imagine being anywhere else. She grit her teeth in frustration at not being able to block out the continued whispers with the harsh truths that she had accepted. "You're lucky I even keep you around. You're damaged goods, a piece of property, my property." She'd bit her lip, trying to focus on anything other then him pressed against her back. "Who are you?" he asked, with a knowing smile on his face. She felt the pain that followed her silence. "Say it, or I'm going to make this so rough on you!" he demanded.

She tried to hold her emotions in, as those only made him angrier. "I'm your property," she repeated the memorized phrase, hating herself and who she had become even more.

"Good girl," he praised in her ear, before she felt his hands wander. She tightly closed her eyes as she focused on the taste of the blood from her lip.

Skye woke up with a start, shoving the blanket off of her. She curled in around herself, trying to get the memories and voices out of her head. Looking around, she immediately recognized Ward asleep a few feet away from her on the couch, the TV still on with the volume real low, and the turbulence that could only come from being in a plane. With the remnants of the nightmare still haunting her, she tried to focus on her breathing, but her thoughts were already spiraling out of control as they were consumed by the memories.

She stared at Ward. What if he got tired of her? Sent her back. She had to offer him something. Maybe he would keep her around. She had to try.

Wiping the tears away, she quietly moved over to the sleeping specialist, carefully straddling his lap. Before he fully woke up, she tangled one hand in his hair as she brought her lips to his, kissing him fiercely. His body responded as he began to kiss her back with the same intensity. Hands on her hips, he pulled her closer. His tired mind hadn't caught up with the present circumstances until the kisses began to taste salty and he felt her hand reach for his pants. He instantaneously pulled back, grabbing her hand before it could find its destination. Ward immediately froze at the realization of the situation and what he had just done.

He tried to slow his breathing down and studied the girl who was still on his lap. It hit him hard when he noticed the tear tracks on her face and the small tremble, but what floored him was the fear in her eyes.

"Please, let me do this," she said quietly as she reached for his pants again. He stopped her right away, gently grabbing her hand and holding on to it this time. There was no way this was going to happen.

He took her hands and placed them flat on his chest, covering them with his own. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Being sure she wasn't going to move her hands, he removed his and gently wiped her tears with his thumbs. "I am so sorry Skye, I am so sorry," he begged for her forgiveness. He hated his traitor body that had just reacted without trying to figure out what was happening or why she was kissing him. He was a trained agent, for god's sake. A trained agent who was supposed to maintain a level head even with exhaustion. What the hell was wrong with him, he chided himself.

She was confused. Was he apologizing for something he was about to do? It didn't matter, she had started it.

"I don't have anything else I can give you," she whispered in explanation. "Please don't send me back. I'll do whatever you want. I know I'm used up, but I can do it. Please, please just let me," she begged. A sob escaped, "I'll be good, please just let me try."

Ward froze at the words of the analyst. She was begging him to practically rape her! He cursed those bastards for the millionth time, oh what he would do them... Taking a deep slow breath, he stopped his mind track as he pushed the anger away. He couldn't let her see that anger and associate it with something she did. He had to fix this first, fix his screw up.

"Skye, look at me," he said in a straight tone. He usually avoided telling her what to do, but this was a desperate situation. He watched her uncertainty with the request.

Covering her small fragile hands back up with his, he gently stated, "Skye, please look at me." Ward patiently waited as her gaze hesitantly started going up till she was looking him in the eyes. There were no happy feelings when she made eye contact for the first time, his heart simply ached for the pain that he saw in her eyes, but he pushed past it. He had to.

Once he had her full attention, he slowly began to explain. He was so desperate for her to understand, desperate to ease the pain, fear, and uncertainty that were so easily reflected in those brown eyes. "We will never send you away from here. You don't have to do anything. It's not something that you have to earn. No matter what you do or don't do, you're stuck with us. Ok?"

He heard a sniffle before the desperate question he strained to hear, "Promise?"

She knew that she was begging for this to be real, and she didn't care. With the fear of rejection still looming, she anxiously waited for his reply, unsure if he had heard her plea of a question.

"I promise," he said, as he wiped away the fresh tears.

"Can you forgive me?" he asked, hating himself for putting her through that.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at his apology. He was apologizing to her.

"I reacted without thinking, and I am so sorry," her SO continued in explanation.

Skye was exhausted and began to wonder if she had really woken up from her dream before she hesitantly nodded.

With that out of the way, Ward went to the main question, "Can I hold you?" He heard another sob, except this one had an air of relief to it, before she leaned against him and buried her head in his neck.

Not feeling completely comfortable with the way they were situated, he gently guided one of her legs back across his lap so she was sitting next to him.

Grabbing the blanket from the floor, he wrapped it around her curled form before encircling his arms around her. She tensed up. He began to count to three and just as he was about to let her go, his rookie relaxed and buried her head against his side, clutching to his shirt with one hand.

Resting his head on top of hers, he heard her take a shuddering breath in as she tensed again. Ward immediately removed his head, placing it on the back of the couch instead, and waited. He held his breath, worried that he had pushed another trigger, till he felt her relax once again and lean into his side.

"I missed you," he admitted quietly to the girl curled up in his arms, glad that she was letting him hold her.

The older agent grabbed the remote and put some Disney movie on. God knows they could use some innocence right now.

AN: That wasn't too bad right? Please review and let me know what you thought! Hope you enjoyed!

Extra Note: I have to share, a few nights ago at 3 in the morning, I was thinking what if Ward escaped from prison and someone caught him and Skye and put them through their own hell. After Ward and Skye finally escape and he gets Skye back to Coulson, the team struggles with Ward as he is the only person she seems to trust and yet he was Hydra and betrayed all of them…this is what I ponder at 3am. Poor Skye. Anyways…Thanks for reading! :)