They left early the next day, needing to stay moving and needing to get supplies.
"So we're just leaving the jet?" Skye asked, running to keep up with Coulson.
"Afraid so. But it'll be fine. Fitz put the cloaking on and without the key nothing short of a drone strike will get it open."
"So we're walking? Please don't say we're walking."
"We're walking. But only to the nearest car dealership. We have a few thousand in cash so it'll have to do."
"Only in shield could you hear the phrase 'a few thousand in cash will have to do' Honestly no wonder the government is after us guns blazing our budget must be through the roof." Hunter scoffed.
"The government is after us too?" Skye yelled a bit too loud "Seriously Coulson, I know this is a fast paced work environment but how much can you miss in two days?"
Coulson sent a disapproving glare to Hunter for mentioning the government.
He winced and mouthed "Sorry."
Coulson sighed. This would be harder to explain than the gifted's. It was more difficult to try and pass this development off as happening within the last two days.
"Remember Hydra yesterday? Turns out a few of them have been hiding in shield. The government now thinks we're all hydra and has labelled shield a terrorist organisation." Despite how often he had said it, the realisation that shield was all but black listed still hit him full force.
"What?!" She yelled again, spitting out the water she had been drinking.
"Bloody hell!" Fitz's hand flew to his head which was now wet thanks to Skye.
"Sorry Fitz!" She used her sleeve to dry his hair.
"So we're having some problems. We're working through them." Coulson shrugged.
Skye's mouth was still open at how casual Coulson was being about this. What she didn't know was that he'd had a few months to come to terms with it.
"Is that why Fury is gone? He's in hiding?"
"Yes. Which is why he tasked me with trying to fix shields status using the toolbox he gave me. Hence Gonzales coming after me, now us, and hence us walking in 102 degree heat in the middle of nowhere."
"At least you don't seem bitter about it." Hunter chimed in and Fitz snorted.
"Why would I be? It's not like being on the run isn't a career goal of mine."
"I kind of always wanted to be on the FBI'S most wanted." Skye blurted.
They all stopped walking and turned to look at her.
"What?" She stoped walking too.
"Why the hell would you want that?" Fitz asked.
"Because..." she paused, embarrassed at their staring "It would mean this big scary organisation thinks you're skilled enough to be a threat to them." She explained as they started walking again.
"And it's nice to be wanted."
They arrived at a car dealership after an hour and a half.
"If being on the run requires anymore walking I think I'll just turn myself in. Jail cells are cool right? And they give you water."
"Yeah you'll find it increasingly less cool the more time you spend in one." Ward huffed.
"You we're in jail?" Skye raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Ward.
"About three weeks in Russia. Not the place you want to be arrested in." He conveniently left out the time he spent in S.H.I.E.L.D.s vault D and the few months he spent in juvie.
"Russia?" She choked out "How the hell are you still alive?"
"Making friends." Was all he said.
"You? Make friends? Now I know that wasn't how you stayed alive."
"I can make friends," he defended himself "It's the keeping them part I have trouble with." He muttered bitterly, grateful that she didn't remember she was one of the ones he couldn't keep.
"Ok I need to know more about Russia." Skye begged.
"Maybe later, if the heat doesn't kill us by then."
They walked through the lot and Skye stopped at a red car.
"Ooh this one looks like Lolas brother!" She ran her hand along the body of the car "Can we have this one? Please?"
"It's tempting," Coulson stopped to admire the car. He looked as though he was close to saying yes then snapped out of it "But no. It's only a two seater."
"So? We can sit on each other's laps!" She argued "Like, ok, yeah, we're on the run. But why not be on the run in style? Very action movie."
"Still no," he smiled at her "Sorry."
"Fine. But ask yourself this: if it's not dope is it really worth it?"
They left half an hour later with an SUV and had been on the road for an hour until Skye and Fitz spotted an 'In 'n' out'.
"Coulson can we stop?"
"What? Why?"
"Food, duh. I honestly can't remember the last time I ate."
"Ten minutes ago. A Snickers." Ward helpfully supplied.
"That's right," she faulted then found another argument for stopping "But that's not real food it's just snacks. I need nutrition."
"I'm feeling a bit peckish myself." Fitz nodded.
"We do need food Coulson." Hunter agreed.
"Fine. We can discuss a game plan for finding strucker and list. But if we're arrested because we stopped for a burger I'm blaming you all." Coulson parked further along the highway, away from the restaurant to avoid the car being picked up on cctv.
They entered the restaurant and Skye made a beeline for the counter to order.
"Good afternoon, are you ready to order?" The woman behind the counter spoke monotonously and without enthusiasm as though she had said some variation of those very words at least 100 times already today.
Ignoring her surly attitude Skye began to order "Hey yeah can I get uh, an animal style cheeseburger with fries and extra pickles, a coke and a strawberry milkshake please." she asked in a chipper and overexcited voice.
"Are you ordering for all of us?" Ward commented, coming to stand beside her.
"Ha. Funny. I've been surviving off skittles and chocolate for the last 24 hours, I'm hungry. And I have a head injury," she pointed to her head as if he'd forgotten. The only reason she was letting him anywhere near her right now was because of the head injury.
"What's the head injury got to do with eating 5 tonnes of food?"
"Duh. You eat, you get calories, the majority of them go to be used for brain function. End result is me getting my brain back to normal."
"I'm not sure of the science behind that but I definitely get the hungry part. I'll have the same, minus the milkshake please." He asked the woman.
She suddenly perked up, seemingly far more excited to comply with Ward's order than Skye's.
She had a feeling it didn't have anything to do with the food. After all, they had ordered the same thing.
"Certainly sir, I'll just get that right out for you," she smiled at him and winked "Personally."
Ward nodded, putting his hands in his pockets and looking around.
He made it look casual but Skye knew he was scanning the place for all exits and potential threats like he had been trying to train her to do.
"She liiiiikes you." Skye sang, poking wards arm.
"Uh-huh, sure she does. Maybe that head injury was more serious than we thought. First your memory goes now your sanity? Rough day."
She rolled her eyes "You're kidding right? She looked like death warmed up before you showed up then suddenly it was all 'Well hi sir. Can I take your order? Personally?'" Skye imitated the woman in a high pitched southern accent, batting her eyes and stroking Ward's arm.
He swallowed, not ready for the affect Skye's little act had on him.
Skye had once used a similar southern accent with him once when he was trying to train her to disarm an assailant.
It had a similar affect on him then too.
If anyone had told him two days ago that he would be standing in a diner getting food with skye, her pretending to flirt with him he would have...well he probably would have hurt them. He wasn't in any way shape or form in the mood to be reminded of Skye by anyone two days ago or any other day after he had been separated from her.
But here he was. And he wasn't quite sure what he'd done to deserve it. It was both the luckiest thing that had ever happened to him and the worst, sickest joke the universe had ever played on him.
He grabbed her hand to dislodge it from his arm and tried to act unaffected "Alright, she was just being nice."
"She wasn't nice to me," Skye huffed "And you seriously don't get it? Have you seen your face? And on top of that you've got that whole 'don't look at me or I'll break your arm. With my pinky' kinda vibe going on. Chicks dig it."
"Was that a compliment Skye?" He couldn't resist joking with her.
"Absolutely not," she smirked "It was a comment."
He felt his lips twitch and tried very, very hard to not ask her if she was one of the 'chicks' who 'dug it'. He figured it wouldn't go well.
The rest of their entourage showed up then and ordered their food.
When they were sitting in a booth Coulson got right into it "So. Strucker and List. I have intel that claims they've set up shop in a facility in the Arctic."
"The Arctic? What the hell is up with evil villains and strange, far off locations?" Hunter pondered, biting into his burger.
"A question for another day," Coulson said "Although, admittedly one I'd like the answer to. But the information gathered states that there are dozens of hostiles, multiple security measures and then there's the whole...Arctic thing. So I'm going to make a deal with Gonzales." He stared casually, dipping a fry in ketchup.
"You're joking right?"
"You've got to be kidding?"
"Are you insane?"
"Coulson, no."
They all said at the same time.
"I thought I was the one with the recent blow to the head?" Skye only partly joked, wondering what the hell was wrong with Coulson.
"You saw how he sent those men after Fitz, Coulson. He's not going lightly with this whole manhunt thing." Hunter tried to snap him out of it.
"No, he's not. But if we don't cooperate on this then people will die. All because they have powers and were unlucky enough to display them."
He couldn't help himself and looked at Skye, thanking God that she was currently with them and not stuck in some research facility being experimented on, prepped to be turned into a weapon.
"Then we'll come with you." Skye said, the second he mentioned the gifteds at risk she was ready to do whatever it took to help them.
"That's another problem. You can't."
"What? Why not?"
"He thinks you have gifts remember? The minute you step foot in the new shield base he'll have you arrested and sent to some prison that will be equally as bad as the one strucker and list have people in."
"Oh. That's why," she swallows thickly.
"So I'm going to need you to stay out of this one."
"Well I'm coming Coulson. You're not stopping me this time mate." Hunter argued.
"Thank you. But you need to know the risks."
"Don't worry. I do."
"I'm coming too sir," Fitz said, hoping to be with Simmons again.
"One of you needs to stay with Skye."
"I can stay with Skye." Ward said quickly, far too quickly for Coulson's liking.
"No."
"Why not?" He challenged him, pissed, daring Coulson to say the real reason in front of Skye.
"You know why." He hissed.
"Seriously Coulson why not? Aside from the fact that I can look after myself," she sent him an annoyed look "I respect that you want me to be with someone. We'll just hang around wherever this new base is." Skye said, not understanding the problem.
"A word, Ward?" He stood and walked to the other side of the diner.
"You know I can protect her." Ward understood how much the team didn't trust him but he at least thought they understood that the one thing they didn't have to doubt was how he would never hurt Skye.
"Do I? How do I know you won't hurt her? Take her somewhere we'll never see her again? You know about her 084 status you could easily take her to hydra yourself and turn her into a weapon."
"You don't know me at all if you think I would even think about doing any of those things." He ground out, not knowing how Coulson would believe that was an option for him.
"That's the problem Ward! We don't know you," he hissed, trying to keep his voice down "How can you not understand my reasons for you being a concern?"
"Look, you have the chip in my arm, yes? You know that even if Fitz or that British guy stayed with us then I could incapacitate them. Easily." He neglected to say the British agents name after the stunt he pulled with Skye.
He didn't like how cocky he sounded when he said it but Coulson knew he wasn't being arrogant. It was just the truth.
"Let me do this. I'll keep her safe, no one will do anything to her while I'm with her. If you don't go people could die Coulson. Hydra isn't messing around with this."
Coulson thought about the point he was making, knowing he was right and that lives were at risk if he didn't go to Gonzales.
He nodded, and said the most reluctant "Ok," he thought he had ever said in his life "Fine. But if I do get help from Gonzales and you two aren't exactly where we left you then I'll be using his newfound truce to find you, and this time when I catch you there won't be a jail cell involved. Understood?"
"Perfectly."
"I want Skye to check in with me by sending an encrypted text to the same phone Fitz has the program for your chip installed in. Every hour."
"Fine."
"And I'm only giving you an icer, Skye too."
"I understand."
Coulson couldn't help but hear that he sounded like an overly cautious father sending his daughter away for her first trip. If the trip involved hiding from shield and hydra and the escort was a lethally trained killer.
Ward studied Coulson as he fretted, knowing how hard it was for him to trust him. But if the team ever believed anything about himself he thought it would be how he felt for Skye.
Even if she herself didn't believe him.
"I'll take care of her Coulson."
He nodded, resigned to how this would have to play out and they returned to the table, Fitz looking nauseous.
"That's disgusting. You Americans will put anything in your mouth." He scrunched his nose and Coulson quickly found that his comments were towards Skye dipping a fry into her milkshake.
"It's good. Here try it," she dipped another one in the milkshake and held it in front of his face.
"No. Skye!" He bobbed his head to avoid the soggy fry.
"It's nice mate, really," Hunter took a milk covered fry for himself and put it in his exaggeratedly wide open mouth "Mmm, that's brilliant that is."
Skye laughed, holding it to Fitz's mouth again.
"Come on Fitzy, just try it. You won't regret it."
"That's an abomination is what that is. Food wasn't meant to be eaten like tha- ahgack," he choked "What the hell!"
Hunter had stuffed a milkshake soaked fry into Fitz mouth while he was ranting.
"Disgustin-Oh that's actually alright I suppose," he concluded, chewing the concoction.
"See? When have I been wrong?" Skye nudged his arm.
"Quite a few time actually-ahh. Schtop ith!" He yelled when she had stuck another fry in his mouth.
"Shut up and enjoy your abomination."
A few minutes later they were on the road, once again pulling into a shady motel.
"This one looks even worse than the last one." Hunter took his sunglasses off to get a look at the place "Glad I'm not staying here."
"No, you're just walking into what is now an enemy base which will most likely result in us being arrested." Fitz reminded him.
"Exactly. We're the lucky ones here." Hunter slapped Fitz back.
"Remember the conditions." Coulson took a deep breath, a feeling of foreboding coming over him.
"Yes. Check in every hour on Fitz phone, encrypted of course, and let you know if we have to change our location." Skye confirmed.
"And no using the internet," he told her, handing her a phone on which he had changed the date to last year so she wouldn't freak out. "So you can't be traced." And so you don't realise you're in a different year, he added to himself.
"Cool. Got it. Can I play temple run?" She asked hopefully.
"Does it require internet?"
"Nope."
"Then yes you can play it."
"Yes," she whispered, then sobered quickly.
"Coulson?"
He nodded "This isn't crazy right? Like you'll come back? Not dead?"
He smiled "Gonzales just wants the toolbox. He won't kill me. And I have a hunch that he wants hydra gone more than he wants me gone. Hopefully," at her worried look he added "Kidding."
"Just," she sighed "Come back ok? And don't go to the Arctic without me."
"Wouldn't dream of it." He smiled at her and she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
"Be safe." She whispered, a demand.
"We will." He hugged ber back.
"All of you." She hugged Fitz and stopped when she got to Hunter.
"I don't really know you so it would be weird to hug you. But yeah, don't die either."
He smiled "Well I do know you, you just can't remember it." He hugged her and she let out a breath at the force he used.
Laughing, she patted his back "Yeah definitely don't die. I feel like we'd be good friends."
They left, Hunter having to practically drag a lagging Coulson and Fitz as they kept stopping to look back.
Ward inwardly rolled his eyes. If he was going to kill her he wouldn't have done it in the ten seconds their backs were turned.
As the sun was starting to go down they made their way inside and booked a room under the name Lou Briccant- Skye insisted as she thought it was a funny and fitting name considering what usually transpired in motels.
——
It turned out that choosing that name was a jinx.
Not half an hour into settling into the motel, as much as you could in these kind of places, the walls started to vibrate.
Then the nosies started. Ones that unfortunately included moaning.
"Oh god no." Skye looked up from her game of temple run, eyes wide.
"Oh god yes!" A woman's voice countered Skye's through the wall.
"No, no, no, no," she chanted, eyes locking with Ward's "What did we do to deserve this? I mean I know these places are known for this shit but come on!"
Ward winced after a series of rather heavy thuds sounded against the wall.
"It can't go on forever," he reasoned "the kind of people that come to these places don't usually stay for long."
"Right," Skye breathed a sigh of relief "I mean how long can it last, really?"
Apparently a very long time.
"It's been 45 minutes." Skye groaned from her position upside down on the bed "It's 12:50 at night, aren't they gonna sleep?"
"Ok," Ward tried to look on the bright side "If anything this is a good training opportunity," he told her, remembering how many times on the way here she had asked about continuing their training.
"What?" Skye questioned, aghast "In what way is this a good training opportunity? And anything that this could possibly train me for I honestly don't want to be involved in."
He closed his eyes and sighed, reopening them "A good opportunity to teach you how to block out all distractions. To focus on the task at hand, and not let any external factors prevent you from doing what you set out to do."
"Ok," she nodded slowly "Yeah, this is good. Training. I can do that."
"Good." He could definitely walk her through how to do this. He himself had used it very frequently in the months since he left Shield.
He would just leave out the part where the constant barrage of memories of her and the team was the external distraction.
"Ok. The first step is just breathing. Do it with me,"
Skye smirked and opened her mouth but Ward spoke first "I heard it. You know what I meant," he tried to keep his features neutral but felt the heat in his ears.
He told himself it was just the conditions in which they were having this conversation. Hearing people having sex in the room right next door made anyone uncomfortable.
"Not the thing you wanna say with that going on just behind that wall." She smirked again, and he was sure she had noticed the blush creeping from his ears to his face.
"Ha," he said monosyllabic "Focus. Breathe out for four seconds." He counted while she did as he said "Good. Now breathe in for another four. Then hold it for four."
She held her breath but he stopped her "No, don't strain it, just hold it."
She tried again.
"Good, then exhale."
"Ok I think I'm getting it-"
"Morris yes! You're so-"
"Nope, not working, I'm leaving!" She stood from the bed, grabbed her jacket and flung open the door.
"Where are you going? We can't leave the room unless it's absolutely necessary." He reminded her, standing as well.
"What in the hell would you call that, Ward?" She gestured to the wall with the hand holding her leather jacket "I would call it an emergency."
"I know it's," he paused and winced "Less than pleasant-"
"Less than pleasant? I don't care what you do Ward but I'm not hanging around to find out what Morris is or isn't. You coming or not?" She turned and started walking down the corridor.
He sighed, "Wait up."
