A Light for the Darkest Soul

Spoilers: All Episodes of AoS

Disclaimer: I own nothing unfortunately.

Grant Ward looked up when hands steadied the bag he was punching. He found Skye leaning her cheek against the black fabric, a look of sadness filled her face as she looked at him. Stripping off the gloves, he moved to her and pulled her into his arms. The pain seemed to grow each day instead of dulling despite it being four months after the event.

"I'm sorry." She let a sob go and he shook his head despite her continuing. "I should have listened to Simmons and instead I thought I knew better. My stubbornness killed her, it's my fault she's dead."

"No, it's not your fault." He let a kiss fall to her head. "None of this is your fault. You remember what Simmons said, we don't know how long the cord was around her neck and what caused it to tighten. Nothing you did, nothing at all could have changed what happened."

Ward held Skye in his arms and thought about the baby they'd planned to love. Their miracle when they hadn't thought to get one. Instead, a week before delivery a routine ultrasound turned into a nightmare. The baby's umbilical cord had wrapped around her neck and instead of having a joyful birth, it had been an induced labor full of sorrow. Having held the baby, Ward had the realization that any combination of him and Skye would be perfect. Even breathless and pale, he'd been in love all over again.

Coulson had promised that the next mission in the New England area, the team going would fly the tiny casket to Memorial Fields where SHIELD agents were buried. Their daughter would be buried among those they had trusted and it was an honor to be buried there. The small stone that would be placed at the head of her grave held only her name: Savra

Savra was an Enyn name that meant 'eternal star' and it was true as she was eternally part of their lives. She would never see the sun rise but she'd always live on in memory and in their hearts. Ward swore that he'd never get the look of perfection out of his mind as it was something he'd never want to forget. Skye had looked beautiful holding their child, in that moment as she gazed at the baby girl he knew she was meant to be a mother above every other thing she was.

As Skye calmed, Ward moved them over to the bench and pulled her hair from around her tear stained cheeks. "What happened?"

"Simmons," Skye took a breath before pushing her hair out of the way. "She found the gift she'd been saving for Savra and gave it to me. She said I deserved to have it despite Savra not being with us. It was a baby book, she'd filled it will all the ultrasound photos and a letter telling her how much everyone on base looked forward to meeting her." Looking up at him she wiped her eyes. "I just don't think anyone gets how hard it is. That just saying her name and looking at the photos tears at me because I got to hold her for an hour when it should have been a lifetime. She'd be four months now, rolling onto her side and babbling at us."

Ward took her hand and held it, "we'll get that again one day. It might take a few tries but we'll have that. I know I compartmentalize everything but Skye, this hurts me too. More than I can express because I saw her and she was everything I wanted. I also saw you with her and I would give anything to see that view every day. I would trade my life a thousand times over if it meant she was in your arms, breathing and smiling at you."

Maria Hill looked up when a knock came on her office door. In the doorway stood Skye, it was highly unusual for the deputy director to come to her unless it was for mission reports or some other business that was urgent. Usually an email or phone call was how they operated so she stood and waited.

"What can I do for you Skye?"

She held out something and Maria put her hand out to take it, the object dropped between their hands with a clank. Pulling her hand close, Hill saw the object and immediately looked up at the woman in front of her.

"I already spoke to Coulson about it and he understands. After Savra I need time to myself and I can't do that with everything else going on. I also want to get back to missions and that's next to impossible with how much we've grown. That's if you'll accept."

Hill nodded and put her hand out, "just let me know if you want it back."

Skye smiled and shook her hand, "I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon Deputy Director Hill." With that she turned to leave but stopped at her name.

"For what its worth, we can't understand your grief but I think I can speak for everyone when I say that losing Savra was losing a piece of this base. We were anticipating her and trying to make it a safe home for her. I saw tears in a lot of agents' eyes when the news broke."

"Thank you."

Making her way to Command, Skye found Ward and Coulson there with Sif. They seemed to be looking at profiles of some random people but also a satellite image of an explosion.

"What is that?"

"That is what happens with you put alien tech in the hands of immature children." Coulson spoke and Skye let her attention float to Ward.

Sif seemed to stop on the profiles of two men, barely teenagers really. "These two, their fathers work for an explosions company."

It had taken almost a year but the Asgardian now was able to speak like she was from Earth. You'd never known she was from another realm or that she wasn't human. As far as Skye was concerned, half the new recruits didn't even know neither of them wasn't human.

"Craft alien tech with explosives it's possible to get that." Ward motioned to the photos, "it's not a normal explosion by a bomb or explosives. See the indentation as well as the radius, it forces into the ground while forcing up at the same time. It's not from anything we have on earth that's for sure."

Coulson nodded and turned to Skye, "are you up for a mission?"

"I've cried till I can't cry anymore and this will help me focus." Skye looked at the profiles of the boys. "Besides, maybe being in the field again will take my mind of everything for a while."

"I want you to get that protein suppressant from Simmons before you go." He folded his arms, "I don't expect anyone to be killed but we need to make sure in advance."

Skye nodded, "will do."

Back in quarters, Skye was pulling on her mission clothes and paused when her old jeans fit her once again. She hadn't been expecting to lose all the weight she'd gained during pregnancy but with the training she'd started a week after the delivery and scarcely eating it wasn't that surprising.

"You okay?" She looked up to see Ward in the doorway of the bathroom with their toiletries. He walked over and threw it in the bag they'd be sharing. "You looked deep in thought."

"Just surprised that I fit back into my old jeans." She shook her head and smiled, "stupid I know. I expected it to take years to fit back in them again."

Ward moved over to her and pulled her into his arms, "you're beautiful no matter what you look like. The extra weight doesn't matter," he put his hand over her heart. "This is what matters, your heart and soul."

Laughter emanated from Skye, "you are so corny you weirdo. Forget being a robot, that's long gone with all this emotional mush you're flattering me with."

"As long as weirdo stays that's fine with me." He leaned down and kissed her, "the nicknames need to stay because I don't think you could be Skye without them."

She looked at him with a sweet smile, "I do know one thing for sure."

"What's that?"

Smoothing his shirt down she met his eyes, "Savra would have made you go bankrupt. You give into my every wish and desire and I don't ask for much. She'd be asking for everything in the world and you'd give into her every want and need. You're a sucker for anything related to me."

He looked up as if thinking before nodding. "That's true and when her brother or sister arrives one day in the far future, I probably will go bankrupt. However, I won't be whining about it because I do it willingly."

"Again," Skye moved away and started closing the bag that sat on the bed. "A sucker for anything related to me. What happened to the ability to tell me no?"

Folding his arms the specialist stared at her, "disappeared when that Grant Ward died in prison."

"Correction," Skye moved around the bed with the bag. "The bad Grant Ward died in prison, he was the killer and traitor. He also didn't have a chance to tell me no because he was too busy betraying me. The Grant Ward that told me no is also the one who trained me and is the good guy who saves people. He's standing before me so the question still remains. What happened to the ability to tell me no?"

Grabbing her around the waist, he looked down at her. "It's impossible to tell you no."

A/N: I am already running for the hill because I know you all have pitchforks and fires, ready to burn me at the stake for this. However it sets the stage for a huge discovery in the next few chapters. So...please don't kill me.

Next...Skye and Ward make a huge discovery in the Alaskan wilderness.

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