Matter of Importance

Spoilers: Season 2 promo

Disclaimer: I own nothing, Marvel owns it all!

Camaraderie was not something Grant Ward had with anyone on the team despite being around them for around a month. The days were all the same in that he was released in the early morning hours, the bracelet around his wrist was scanned so the daily base restrictions alerted him to where he wasn't allowed to go, he ate meals in the cafeteria and worked where he was ordered to before returning to his cell every night.

Trip treated him like he'd done nothing wrong but there was no friendship there, just understanding and acceptance. Mac and Hunter eyed him like he was going to harm Fitz or someone at any given moment and when working with them, they never let him anywhere near the scientist. May gave him orders, he never saw Coulson and Skye, she was the exception to it all. She would often find him working after her training and join him by sitting on the nearest flat surface and talk to him. She never lifted a hand to help him but she was a friend, his only friend and he found himself falling in love with her more each day despite not being allowed to touch her when others were around.

Of course, everything would change a month after he began work-release and it would change everything he thought he knew about those around him.

"Oh my god!" Skye sat down with a plate full of brownies and every man at the table just stared in surprise. "I have never been so glad to be back to training."

Hunter just stared at her, "you're going to get sick if you eat all those."

Ward just snorted and took a sip of his coffee, even Fitz chuckled at the man's statement. Skye took another bite of her brownie and slapped Hunter's hand as he tried to steal one. "I wouldn't if I were you." Ward gave the warning, "she's liable to shoot you over them."

"Yeah well obviously you don't know her like I do mate. Skye here wouldn't shoot me, would you darling?"

Skye looked at Hunter, "touch this plate again and I'll do worse than May did months ago. I haven't been able to eat anything like this in months so try it and die."

Trip merely whistled. "Man you should learn by now." He lapped Hunter's back, "never come between Skye and her brownies, or is it ice cream?"

"I think its both." Fitz spoke as he raised a finger. "She did stare at you last week when you ate the pint of rocky road that was in the back of the freezer."

Skye's phone went off and she pulled it from her pocket, "damn, stupid medical updates. Tell me you guys have had yours and they aren't going to pull the needles."

"We are due for inoculations." Fitz grimaced, "I had to have five this morning and I'm not a field operative."

"Well if you hear screaming from the Infirmary you know what happened." Skye stood and took her plate with her but not before placing a brownie on Ward's plate.

Hunter gapped, "bloody hell, how does he get one and I don't? I've saved your arse at least five times in the last year."

"Because he knows better." She then leaned over and placed one on Fitz's plate as well as Mac and Trip's. Taking the last one on the plate she bit into, "don't assume things and I might be nice to you."

With that she walked away and Hunter leaned back, shaking his head. "I'm starting to think my ex-wife and her are related."

"Don't get on that again!" Mac spoke and took a sip of coffee, he removed the brownie from his plate and placed it on Hunter's. "Now shut up and eat it before I rethink."

Ward looked at Hunter, "horrible ex?"

"Demonic hell beast." Hunter shook his head, "I swear the only thing that I won from that marriage was my life."

Mac leaned back, "and Hartley, seem to remember that was the real reason you and the ex-wife broke up. Her finding you and her best friend in your bed."

"A guy has needs and obviously Hartley was willing to satisfy them where the wife wasn't. Not my fault she neglected the marriage to run off and work for MI-6 nine months out of the year. What did she expect? I'd be patiently waiting at the flat for her night and day."

"Ward had it worse." Fitz spoke and the ex-specialist looked at the scientist. "Well you did, you were in love with Skye while sleeping with May."

Every head at the table whipped around quickly to look at the man. Trip shook his head, "hold on, back up…you slept with May?" He busted out laughing, "man the fact you're still breathing is amazing right now."

"She broke his larynx and he couldn't speak for months," Fitz shrugged, "or so the report said."

Hunter shook his head, "and I thought I had problems mate, how are you still alive? Better yet, how have they not teamed up to kill you yet?"

"Sex with May was to distract her so she didn't expect me as a mole." Ward sighed and put his coffee down. "Skye just blindsided me." He stood and picked up his tray along with the plate Skye left behind. "With May there was no emotions and all I've done is kiss Skye."

He was gone before anything could be said and Mac shook his head, "that dude has problems and I don't only mean the mental kind."

Coulson shook his head as he stood overlooking the paperwork in front of him. May walked in with a tablet and paused in front of his desk, watching as he flung papers on the desk.

"What's the problem?"

"What's the problem?" Coulson looked up at her, "ever since Talbot and I came to an understanding months ago when we handed Morse and Bakshi over, he's been funding us partially. Now this senator that has an interest in helping us re-establish with the US government wants a tour of the place or no deal."

May nodded, "you have to say yes because we need the connections but something is holding you back. What is it Phil?"

"The senator's name is Christian Ward." He met her eyes, "he's respected, practically loved by the government and the people. Ward swears he's sociopathic, tortured him and while Ward has been known to lie…"

"Skye swears by the same thing and Ward hasn't lied to Skye since his imprisonment began. So you're wondering whether to trust him or not."

Coulson shook his head, "I don't know what to do. If I let him come, he could run into Ward and as a prisoner, we have to protect the senator over him which could turn him against us. Furthermore we don't know what Skye's reaction will be and right now, in matters with Ward she could either be silent or shoot the senator."

"Yet we need this to get back in good graces." May sat down, "it's a nightmare. No doubt Talbot has told him that Ward is our prisoner and he may demand Ward in exchange for negotiations." She shook her head, "Skye would shoot him then."

"All of us possibly for just considering it."

Coulson sighed and looked towards his window, "I'll arrange for the tour, before he arrives I want Skye with Ward at all times." He looked back at May, "Nixon was right that she's the only one safe from physical violence which means if she puts herself between him and someone he won't do anything."

"He'd risk hurting her and he won't risk it."

"The bracelet comes off too, just for the visit." Coulson rose and walked to the window, "we need Ward both for information and a protector for Skye, he'll do whatever necessary to protect her and with her father as a danger he's our last resort."

May stood and walked over, "you want his brother to think he's a part of the team, someone we trust."

"It's probably the only way we can get the resources we need without risking the loss. I agree with Nixon, he won't risk anything that takes him away from Skye and so he'll take his orders without question."

Skye stood watching Ward as he paced her small set of quarters, it was bigger than the bus but not by much. Coulson had just revealed the news of Ward's brother arriving the next day for a tour, he hadn't said a word but it didn't take a blind man to see he was pissed. Finally he stopped and moved to her, cupping her face gently as he looked at her.

"Don't let me give in Skye, not to that path again." He let one hand slip away to brush back her hair. "I want to kill him for what he did to us all but I can't let myself go down that path again. I swore to myself when I got released a month ago that I was done killing, not unless it was to protect you and the team."

Taking his hands from her face she nodded. "I promise."

His eyes met hers as he gently encapsulated her hands in his. "I can't lose you and I will if I give into that side of myself. I have nothing else to live for, nothing else that matters in the world but you." He pulled her to him and held her, burying his face in her hair as her arms wrapped up around his arms to his shoulders. "I can't be in that darkness again."

Pulling back she met his eyes, "I'll be there the whole time and if he so much as threatens you I'll kick his ass." He chuckled and she smiled, "senator or not, he messes with you and he messes with me."

Before he could say anything Skye leaned up and kissed him, pulling back seconds later with a smile on her face. He looked at her partially dazed and a goofy smile reached his face. "That was unexpected."

"You are so dorky after I kiss you." Skye shook her head as she laughed and moved out of his arms, sitting down on her bed. "You should get to medical for your update before they track you down."

As if on cue her door slid open and May stood in the doorway, "is there a reason the door is closed?"

"We were talking about his brother." Skye looked up at her SO, "he doesn't want his personal issues blasted across the base for everyone to know about. It's not like we've been…"

"Don't finish that sentence or you'll be doing laps the rest of the day." May turned her attention to Ward, "Infirmary now, you've been paged twice for your medical update."

Ward shared a look with Skye and she smirked as he left, walking around May and down the hall. Her SO gave her a look before turning to leave, "thanks for that May, can't even talk to someone without you suspecting something."

"His heart rate is tracked with that bracelet just as your heart rate monitor is tracked by me" The woman turned around and looked at Skye. "We'd know if something was going on."

Skye just smirked, "I'll remember that."

"Be sure that you do or you'll be explaining to Coulson why your heart rate matches areas it shouldn't be."

With that the woman left and Skye just shook her head, looking down at her monitor to see it at a steady pace. Obviously May doubted her ability to keep her heart rate steady around Ward, she'd improved over the month that they'd been stealing kisses in various locations. She'd keep it to herself or she feared Coulson would have a heart attack at the knowledge.

A/N: Okay so despite the whole Ward's brother is coming, I had to add some funny moments. By the way, we will see Simmons in the next chapter, it's been a while but we'll find out why she's been missing from the actual story line.

Next...Obviously we have a senator arriving.

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