He didn't like opening up to people that was a trait that he developed over the eons. He tried it's important you know that he tried to do better even tried to save lives in the beginning but as time went on his immortal finally broke him well that and he had a run in with Thanos that left him a broken shell of himself. After that he resided purely in the Savage Land hiding like a coward but then "Karl…" he muttered while sipping his okay he didn't know how many beers this had been but he was pretty sure that since he was only half drunk this was his ninth.
These days when he was just bar hopping making pocket change fuel his drinking problem. He turned his attention to the TV in the bar currently he was back in his time line granted he had to take the long way back but maybe that was for the best. He wasn't the man he was back when he was working with Coulson no he wasn't that man died eons ago. Whether that was good or bad was debatable he was regardless though retired.
Ward had in his opinion made too mistakes so after a young human who had been really an Inhuman he found stranded in the Savage and raised like a son had been transformed into that thing. He finally decided to stop trying to make a difference and resign himself to a life of meaningless drinking, obscurity, one night stands, and bar fights.
Ward had been about to start on his next beer when he heard stomping and what sounded like heavy breathing "You." The deep voice said angrily.
Ward smirked knowing it was likely someone he or his clone had wronged "Yeah me." He turned around and saw a tall alien like creature with dreadlocks "You are?" He asked too drunk to care.
"Lash." The Inhuman spoke firmly "You must die."
Ward laughed "Oh must I and who gave you the job of judge jury and executioner."
Lashed started breathing in and out rapidly clearly angry "Melinda May. Do you remember that name? You hurt her and lots of people."
Ward stayed silent not responding he seemed more depressed now that drunk "I think I've heard about you now that I think about it. You're her husband the guy not man enough to fight for his marriage that about right? Now you are trying to prove what a big strong man you are by acting as the embodiment of natural selection. Jeez talk about pathetic. Maybe May never would have been with me if you hadn't given her space maybe if you acted like your inhuman self, more and less like a beta male she'd show you some damn respect."
The second those words left Ward's mouth Lash hit him so hard he slid across the bar into the concrete Lash gave him a disgusted look then spat on the ground thinking his job was done. He started to walk away when he heard Ward yawning he looked over at the whole completely stunned to see Ward get up completely unharmed Lash couldn't understand why but somehow this wasn't the man he saw working for Malick.
This man was grubby in old dirty clothes completely unprofessional in behavior. His hair and beard were horribly long and worse of all he reeked of beer and stunk like a man who hadn't showered in years.
"Okay, okay I'm sorry that was out of line I shouldn't have said that I'm kind of going through something similar to May's situation with you and I guess I kind of sort of… projected that on to you man." Ward said this as he walked toward a shocked Lash extending his hand adding "Want to get a drink? I'm guessing you've never really met someone stronger than yourself or someone willing to sit down just talk. Come on dude we'll talk and see what's really eating at you."
The two spent a lot of time talking Lash was to no surprise shocked "So you spent eons tapped inside pocket dimensional planet that was a giant labyrinth designed to torture you and break you and you escaped by master your powers only to wind up at the dawn of time and you ended up running into the skrulls of the past and went."
"Full on rage mode and slaughtered a then innocent people forever scarring the then skrull child who would grow up to be my nemesis and ironically the architect of my suffering. Oh and just going to tell you up front the kree created the inhumans after studying my blood so…"
Lash's mouth almost dropped open "Your technically the-"
"First Inhuman? Yep which kind of makes me yours, and Skye's ancestor I mean I'm not really but the kree used my blood to create well you get the idea." Ward explained sounding as confused as he was making Lash "I mean I tried to help my people who looked at me like a father well more of a god really. I wanted so badly for Inhumans and Humans to coexist I believed that if I could create a balance."
"What happened?"
"The Order of the Shield happened." Ward explained "You see SHIELD is like HYDRA but unlike HYDRA it has no good origins."
"I'm sorry can you repeat that?" Lash asked his eyes blinking it was like he'd stepped into the twilight zone.
"Yeah HYDRA was once a good force dedicated to protecting the Inhumans from the fanatical humans and their Shield. However, over time the order I helped built lost its way it's mission, became distorted, and over time they began worshiping this Inhuman I once…"
"What? You mean that thing I've heard about the thing HYDRA wanted to bring back you It?" Lashe began to feel disgust and uncertainty even, even a little fear these were emotions he'd thought he'd long abandoned.
"Her." Ward corrected despairingly "She was the most beautiful woman I ever knew. She was incredibly smart and witty. The granddaughter of a good friend of mine a third generation inhuman. She didn't want to be like this!" Ward yelled slamming his fists onto the bar table "You know, it's easy for guys like Coulson to look at so called monsters but I'd like him to stand up and act self-righteous when it's someone he loves that becomes the so called monster and it's all his fault!"
"I take it you had an involvement."
Ward shook his head "I told her it would be alright that the worst that could happen was she'd just look a little different. I didn't think she'd become that. The woman I loved was gone and all that remained was this Hive entity.
"I became a hermit after that occasionally venturing out into the world sometimes I was able to push my way forward through time but my power doesn't exactly work how I want or need it to. Sometimes I get flung forwards in time and I get what I call sneak peeks only I get flung back." Ward started to laugh as he continued "I am so powerful and yet I am so powerless. You see I have to be careful about my choices if I make the slightest mistake…" Ward stopped talking for a second "I know you know Skye or as she prefers now Daisy. I screwed her path I guess you could say."
"How so?"
"I'm the reason… in the original time line. Hers anyway she was raised by her parents I didn't know this though I always assumed she was an orphan I didn't know that one sneak peek I got was how her life was supposed to be." Ward confessed clearly devastated as he thought back to what happened.
Many Years Ago…
Cal looked across the bar at his girlfriend they were so happy back then and so different. You'd never think they were the people they were destined to become. He was nervous and pretty much drenched in sweat when he felt someone slap his shoulder he turned around and recognized his best friend and future best man "Grant what are you doing here?"
"Cal come on its me." Ward smirked "I know you've been planning on asking her so just do it. Otherwise I'm going to steal her from you man." Ward teased and the two men shared a laugh.
"I'm just worried I mean she's going to."
Ward nodded understanding his friend's concern "Still be young when you're an old man. I know your worried she'll leave you but trust me that's a good woman you got Cal I mean she gave up her position and standing just to be with you. To live a normal life with you." Ward put his hands on Cal's shoulders and smiled at his friend "Now go get her man."
Cal smiled back at him and with knew resolve walked over to the love of his life he got down on one knee and then everything started to shake and Ward got that chill up his spine "No." He muttered and then he went flying through space and time. He saw events pass like seconds Steve Rogers becoming a Super Soldier, Ultron coming to life, the Battle of New York, so many events and then he dressed in a nice suit landed in the middle of a campus.
He looked around confused it was clearly spring and looked like "Where am I?"
"Uncle Grant?" A young woman said from behind him.
Ward turned around and saw her "Skye?" She was beautiful he hadn't seen her in so long he had almost forgotten her appearance.
She dressed like a regular college kid she wore jeans and a red long sleeve shirt "You know I hate when you call me by my middle name." She dropped her school books and ran towards him she hugged him so tightly and her embrace was everything he remembered he wanted so badly for this moment to last forever.
"So what are you doing here?" She asked excited.
"Oh you know just popping in." He replied.
"Did dad send you here to check up on me?" She quickly asked slightly annoyed.
"Your dad?" He replied confused.
She rolled her eyes "Oh come on. Your best friend Cal the guy who made you my godfather. I know they worry about me especially with my recent protest rally at SHIELD but..."
"Wait you protested SHIELD?"
"Okay cut me some slack Dean Melinda Garner tore into me she's former SHIELD and has a lot of respect for that place." Her phone started ringing "Fitz?" She answered accidently putting it on speaker.
"Oh god please stop!" They heard screams and the sound a cracking sound "Good god I can't take it! No not the cigarette! I'll be good I promise just stop!"
The two traded each other worried looks. Skye rushed across campus with Ward following "So who is this guy?" Ward asked feigning ignorance.
"A friend of mine he had a chance to be sign up for SHIELD but passed on it to study criminal law." Skye explained running towards a building opening up a door and running up a bunch of stairs.
"So he uh…" Ward paused to catch his breath "He uh involved in anything bad?"
"What? No! He's squeaky clean." They continued to hear screams of pain and what sounded like a cracking sound.
They reached the top floor and ran to the third room down with Skye leading the way. Ward impulsively kicked the door down. What they saw was not what either of them expected. A woman with a long pony tail and a mask dressed in a corset, leather pants and black stiletto boots. She was whipping him relentlessly.
Ward looked down on the floor catching sight of a cell phone under a shoe "Oh crap I think you got shoe dialed."
Immediately the Dominatrix flipped "Oh my god!" She instinctively ripped off her mask.
"Jemma!" Ward yelled pointing a finger.
"Leo!" Skye yelled looking him butt naked and strapped to a bed hot wax on his chest and crotch.
"Who? What? Where and how?" Ward asked speechless his finger aiming already around the room.
Skye calmed down her face filling with anger "Uncle Grant this woman is a local dominatrix called."
"Empress Jemma." Simmons interrupted.
"Yes, she got thrown out of the SHIELD academy for having a series of sexual adventures on her campus so SHIELD gave her the boot and her parents having felt ashamed disowned stranding her in the states where she set up shop. She's become something of a local celebrity and not the good kind." Skye explained clearly disgusted just by looking at the leather clad Simmons.
"Oh honey your just jealous I'm hot and you're a boring college girl." Simmons smirked clearly equally as hateful towards Skye.
"So you two aren't friends?" Ward asked surprised.
"Why would I be friends with this bitch?" They both said in unison.
"Listen can you two go the puppy and I have a session to finish. Beside I'm being charged a hundred an hour so unless you want him to be bled financially."
"Yeah right bitch everyone knows you over charge the usual rate is two fifty you always charge four seventy five. Your such a money sucker that you've gotten famous for it. So-"
"Oh my god!" Ward exclaimed as if making a discovery "I get it you charge him less because you like him!"
"What! That is not true and completely…"
"We're just a professional relationship!" Fitz exclaimed not making any sense but both their faces were turning bright red.
"I swear it's nice to know that no matter what time line you two stay the same hiding your feelings under the guise of a professional relationship. You two make me believe in love again. You really do." Ward smiled acting like he knew them both though they had technically just met.
"Hey wait a minute Jemma I remember you'd disappear when we were state side back on the plane. This explains so much." He fought everything to keep himself from laughing "But this doesn't make sense unless…" His face grew sad and he said "Oh crap."
That was when he got flung back in time to the bar. He saw Cal and Skye's mother hugging it out and he felt his world crashing down "Oh god what am I going to do?"
Present Day…
Ward stepped out of the bar after having a few drinks with Lash the discussion prompted him to google Empress and BDSM and he was pleasantly surprised to find Jemma in a mask and in some erotic photos "Holy shit!" He gasped "Fitz is going to lose his shit when he finds out just wish I could be there. I always knew you had a secret side Simmons but this is just wow. Oh I need to print out some pics before I head back to the Savage Land." He grinned.
"I hope you are joking I'd hate to think you spend all your time and energy looking at internet porn and getting drunk off your ass." A voice called out from behind.
Ward turned around and saw a man in the shadows "Who are you?"
The man came out of the shadows dressed in a white hoody and jeans "My name is Nick Fury and we need to talk."