Author's note

Some lines are taken from episode 13 'T.R.A.C.K.S.'

Chapter 35

Skye explained what she had found to Coulson while Ward went to get FitzSimmons from the lab and May from the cockpit, before they all met up in the control room. Coulson and Skye were the last to enter.

"Ian Quinn," Coulson said as he walked in.

"You found him?" May asked.

"No, but we think we know how we can," he said.

He and Skye told the rest of the team what she had found about an expensive package Quinn had purchased being transported by a company called Cybertek and that they believed the package was going to him.

"If everything goes as planned," Coulson finished their explanation. "Cybertek's security team won't even know we were on the train."

"So we're going in undercover," Ward surmised.

"I hate undercover," May grumbled.

Coulson explained the roles of the team and they went through the plan.

"So we have a few hours before we have to leave to get on the train," he finished. Everyone agreed to be ready to go and May and Coulson left the room.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I'm gonna grab a nap before we go," Skye said with a yawn. "Come be my pillow robot?" she asked turning and moving closer to Ward.

"I'm actually going to go grab something to eat and then go over the plan again," he said quietly before leaving the room.

Skye stared after him in shock. That was definitely not like him. Usually he took any excuse he could to just lay in bed with her.

"That was weird," she said turning to look at the scientists who were both actively trying to avoid looking at her. "Okay, that's it. What do you two know" she demanded.

Simmons decided the only way this would be resolved would be to clue Skye in since she seemed to have no idea what was going on with Ward.

"You've been pretty busy the past few days, trying to locate Quinn-"

"Yeah, and it paid off because hey look, we've found a way to get to him," Skye interrupted.

"And you've been neglecting taking care of yourself," Simmons continued as if Skye hadn't spoken. "You haven't slept in nearing two days and the only time you've eaten is when someone's forced you to. He's been trying to take care of you and you've been blowing him off and snapping at him," she finished firmly.

Skye stared at Simmons in shock, before turning to Fitz who just nodded in agreement. She hadn't realised that she had been treating Ward like that. She had just been so determined to find something. But now thinking about it she could recall him asking her to take breaks and her basically ignoring him. And in the early hours of that morning he had basically begged her to come to bed and she had pretty much dismissed him.

"I didn't realise," she said quietly. "I was so focused on finding Quinn, I just.." she trailed off.

"You should probably go talk to him," Fitz said quietly.

She nodded and headed in the same direction Ward had gone, determined to make this right. She knew that she had probably hurt him and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She walked into the kitchen to find him standing at the counter staring off into space, an untouched sandwich in front of him.

"Hey," she said quietly as she approached him.

He visibly startled and turned his head to look at her. "I thought you were going to have a nap," he said softly.

She stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head between his shoulder blades. She felt him tense when she first touched him which he hadn't done with her in a long time but he relaxed again quickly. "I'd rather rest right here with you than take a nap alone in my bunk," she whispered into his back.

"It's been too long since you slept. Please go and lay down. You need to rest properly," he said turning in her arms so her head was now on his chest.

"Only if you come with me," she replied.

He gave in easily, willing to give her whatever she wanted if it meant she would rest. He grabbed his sandwich off the counter and guided her towards her bunk. They got comfortable on her bed, him sitting against the wall so he could eat and her curled around his leg with her head resting on his thigh.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked quietly.

"For the past few days. You were trying to take care of me and I haven't been being very nice to you," she continued at the same volume.

"I was just worried about you. Not eating, not sleeping, those aren't good things. And if anything happened to you, I don't know if I could handle it."

She looked up at him. "Lucky I have you to protect me then," she said with a small smile.

"Got to sleep baby, you need the rest," he said with a kiss to her forehead. "I'll wake you up when it's time to get ready."

"Just don't leave me okay?" she mumbled as she snuggled in to his thigh.

"Never."

"Once I've located the package, I'll let you know where to place the tracker," May told Ward as she prepared to climb out the window to the top of the train.

"Yeah," Ward said quietly in reply causing her to turn and look at him, raising an eyebrow. He noticed her expression but just shook his head. "I just want to find him and for this to be done."

"You're worried about Skye," she surmised. Ward wasn't usually like this on missions and it was easy to pinpoint why.

"She's been different since SciTech," he answered.

"How so?" May asked.

"Driven, focused. She was holed up for days trying to locate Quinn. And I get it, I do. Coulson was put through hell. But her running herself into the ground doesn't help anyone."

"I'm assuming she told you what we found out?" May asked.

"Yeah. Like I said, I do get it, why this is so personal. But I can't help but worry anyway. Especially because this is personal. We both know how personal urges can adversely affect tactical decisions," he replied.

"Hmm. That's why I don't have them. You should do the same."

He looked at her and shook his head. "Think that's an acceptable excuse to the higher ups?"

"Coulson took it okay when I told him about us," May replied.

This wasn't new information to him and he suspected she knew that but he knew he had to act like it was.

"Wait. You told him?!" he asked.

"Yep," she grinned as she climbed out the window, leaving him chuckling to himself.

After trying and failing to use the holotable – and seriously how many times had he watched FitzSimmons do that it really shouldn't have been that hard – Ward and Coulson agreed the best course of action was to upload it to HQ and let them figure out what it was.

"Uh sir," Ward called as Coulson went to walk away. He figured if what was going on between he and May was real and she had told him she told Coulson he would mention it, so he went with that though. "This probably isn't the best time, but what May told you, I would have preferred it stayed between me and her."

Coulson smirked at him before straightening his face into a stern look and Ward just knew this wouldn't be pleasant. "Well 'it' is happening on my bus, amongst members of my team. You know it's against protocol, so if you endanger an operation or someone else gets hurt, I'll reassign you to Barrow, Alaska where you will spend the rest of your years pulling the night shift guarding Blonsky's cryo-cell," Coulson stopped to look at Ward who seemed to be having a hard time keeping a straight face. He couldn't blame him; he was struggling to keep the stern expression up too. "Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," Ward replied.

The two of them looked at each other for a few beats before they both laughed.

"That was actually pretty fun," Coulson said.

Just then Russo from the Italian police walked in, reassuring them, before having a knife thrown at him by May from behind.

"Wheels up in five," she said angrily.

"You okay?" Ward asked. "You were on the train when it disappeared."

"May, Russo was – Explain yourself, please," Coulson called after her as she headed into the plane.

"The train didn't disappear, Russo sold us out. Get the plane ready, I need a shower," she replied.

"I'll get the plane ready," Ward said to Coulson and headed for the stairs. "Maybe let Coulson stitch you up," he said to May as he passed her.

Fitz was under the last car outside Quinn's compound when he heard a window break and a body landed dead on the ground beside him.

"Skye," he said to himself getting out from under the car and moving towards the house.

One of Quinn's men stepped out and went to shoot him, but was shot from the side by Ward as he, Coulson, Simmons and May approached.

"Where's Skye?" Coulson asked.

"Sh-sh-she didn't want to let Quinn get away," he stuttered, pointing towards the house.

Coulson turned towards Ward who was nodding and already turning to run for the back of the house. Ward reached the back of the house and didn't hesitate to kick the door open, walking in with a night night pistol in each hand and not even thinking before shooting every man there, with the exception of Quinn.

Quinn went to run but was stopped by Coulson pointing a gun at him. Ward approached the two and grabbed Quinn, slamming him into a nearby table and pointing one of his night night pistols at him.

"Where's Skye?" Coulson demanded, noticing a spray of blood on Quinn's hand.

Ward noticed the blood at the same time and hauled Quinn back up, holding him in place while Coulson placed a gun under his chin.

"You know, Agent Coulson," Quinn began. "It's dangerous to keep sending her in like that, all alone, when she means so much to you."

Coulson back-handed Quinn and Ward unceremoniously dropped him to the ground.

"Search the house," Coulson commanded. "Find her, now!"

May stayed to secure Quinn, while the rest of the team split up to search for Skye.

Ward opened a door and looked to the side, seeing Skye slumped on the ground, unconscious and in a pool of blood.

"Oh god. No, no no," he mumbled to himself, kneeling down and reaching for her. "Jemma!" he shouted as loud as he could, while checking for a pulse. "Hang on Skye, please hang on. Just stay with me," he whispered to her.

Simmons entered the room then, followed quickly by Fitz, Coulson and May, all of whom had heard him call out and knew something was very, very wrong.

"She's been shot," he said to Simmons.

"Oh god, okay. Keep her upright," Simmons instructed as she knelt down to inspect Skye.

"There's no pulse," Ward continued, panicked.

"Uh she's lost too much blood," Simmons said looking around for something to help. "Wait, put her in there," she demanded, pointing to the hyperbaric chamber.

Ward didn't hesitate to follow her instructions. He didn't know what it did, but if Simmons thought it would help then he would do whatever she said. Coulson, Fitz and May moved to help him lift Skye without moving her too much.

"Do you even know what that thing is?" Coulson asked.

"It's a hyperbaric chamber and we need to get her in there, now!" Simmons answered sharply. Simmons and Fitz adjusted the controls on the chamber to lower the temperature and stabilise the pressure. "It's working for now," Simmons said quietly. "We need to get her on the bus and to a medical facility, fast."

They moved quickly then, getting her loaded on the bus, May going straight to the cockpit to get the plane in the air and co-ordinates set for the nearest medical facility, which was just under two hours away. Simmons said she would do everything she could to keep her alive until they got there and then excused herself, Fitz following her to comfort her. Ward walked out of the lab where Skye was and punched the hood of the van in front of him.

"It's not your fault," May said quietly but firmly coming up beside him.

"She never should have gone in there alone," he said brokenly.

"Blaming yourself won't help her."

"I know," he answered before heading back into the lab. He stood on the other side of the hyperbaric chamber to Coulson and looked at the older man. Coulson looked up and met his eyes. "We have to save her," Ward said firmly.

Coulson nodded and the two men looked back down at the girl they both loved, in different ways. They both knew that they would do whatever it took to save her.