Kyle watched as Mack walked past the main barn escorting a furious Sue off of the property and the teenager felt a raw hatred fill him that he had never experienced. This woman was doing everything she could to ruin the family he was finally going to have with his dad and Skye and it had to stop.

"My dad will never marry you and I will never accept you as my stepmother. On the very slim chance it does happen, my dad will not send me to boarding school like I heard you and Ally discussing," he got into her face, his height and muscular frame showing just how tiny she was in comparison to him. "Oh and given how powerful Skye is and the people with abilities well beyond your own that love her, would you really want to hurt her? Back off."

Kyle turned around and walked away; going into the main house where Lily stood by the back door, rage filling her brown eyes. She walked over to Sue and slapped her across the face.

"Tell your father that his little scheme to marry his baby girl off to a Ward failed just like his own did with me."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"You didn't think I would investigate who you were, Sue? Your father was my former fiance, who was more interested in getting his hands on my family's money and screwing his former high school sweetheart, who just happened to be my late sister-in-law than marrying me. He is Tommy's biological father so that would mean you and Grant share a sibling. Now get off of my property and if I see you and Ally trying to come back here, I will have the both of you arrested for trespassing," she said, clenching her fists in anger. "Oh and if you tell the police about Skye, some interesting paperwork will anonymously find its way to the IRS about yours and your father's illegal investments. I am tired of being nice about everything. If you want to see how nasty I can get, keep messing with Grant and Skye. I promise you, little girl, you don't want to see just what I am capable of because I will fuck your future up so bad, your life won't be worth spit."

Lily stormed into the house, the door frame shaking as the storm door slammed behind her. Mack, who had been watching the confrontation quietly, looked at Sue with a tiny bit of sympathy.

"I suggest you take her advice because from everything I have heard, she won't give you another warning."

Mack quietly led the trembling young woman to the limo that would take her back to her hotel, watching as the car went down the long driveway and through the front gate.

Cal came walking into the dining room to the sight of plates flying around the room and a furious Lily standing in the middle of it. He was in awe of her power but knew that as furious as the witch was, she would strike out at anybody who tried to talk to her at that moment.

"That little bitch actually had the nerve to threaten to turn Skye into the police for killing Milly, all so she could get Grant to marry her instead. Her father taught her very well on how to be a selfish lying sack of garbage."

"You have a history with her father?"

"Oh you bet I do! He is the reason I never let myself trust another man again."

Cal listened to the story of how she started to date Patrick McCallister, a man eighteen years older than her and how they had become engaged, only to find out that he was her sister-in-law's presumed dead high school sweetheart. How he had been having an adulterous affair with Milly the entire time he and Lily had been together and that he was Tommy's biological father.

"When the truth came out, instead of choosing to be with Patrick, Milly decided that being a Ward and having access to our money was what mattered the most. I ended my engagement to Patrick and I haven't seen him since. So of course, he uses his daughter to get his hands on our family's money and to see Tommy."

"What about the party? Are you still going to allow them to come?"

"Yes but I sent a message to Patrick through Judge Monroe that he is to be on his best behavior or I will expose him for the liar and cheat that he is. He knows I will do it and doesn't want to go to prison."

"Does Tommy know that Patrick is his biological father?"

"Yes. He wants nothing to do with him. In his eyes, Travis is his father. Unlike what happened with you and Skye, Patrick knew where Tommy was. Patrick chose not to see him and fight Milly in taking him away from her, especially when Christian started to abuse him or force Grant into doing it, he knew and didn't do a damn thing to stop it. That woman seemed to have an ability to pick cowards, they were easier to manipulate."

"Does Travis love Tommy or was this his way of getting back at Milly and Patrick?"

"Travis loves his children; he just didn't have the balls to stand up for them except for that one time with Grant. In his eyes, Tommy is his child and he will not be happy to find out about Patrick's latest schemes."

"Let's hope he never finds out."

Time had passed and it was the night of the party, the entire Ward family was back in the group of hotel rooms they had used when Skye had been in the hospital. Lily was down in the ballroom, wearing a fire engine red strapless Valentino that fit her slender waist to perfection before flaring out at her hips and falling to ankle length and her long dark hair pulled up into a simple chignon. A diamond choker rested against her long neck and matching diamond studs were in her ears.

"I would almost see if you wanted to resume our engagement if you weren't trying to destroy my family," a baritone voice came into her ears. "Time has been very kind to you, Liliana."

Lily, who was in the middle of talking to General Talbot about Sunil Bakshi's trial, turned to face him. The rage in her dark eyes was the only sign that she wanted to rip Patrick's eyeballs out.

"I see Sue gave you my message. Now do me a favor and stay away from me. Oh and Tommy doesn't want to see you at all. Stay the hell away from my nephew," she said, her expression one of polite indifference.

Patrick, still handsome at sixty three years old, his light blond hair since turning grey and his eyes still an icy blue that could cut through a person when filled with anger, glared at Lily. The Armani tux he was wearing fit his athletic frame perfectly as he started to speak.

"Don't ever threaten my child again or I will make you pay for it."

"The lady asked you to back off," Cal stated coming up behind Patrick, using his super strength to take firm grip on Patrick's wrist. "I suggest you walk away before my own little girl is embarrassed by me showing a side of myself that she really hates."

Cal released Patrick's wrist and watched as the other man walked away before he looked up and saw Skye standing there with Grant, his arm around her waist. She reminded him of Jiaying and tears came to his eyes.

"Jiaying would be very proud of you right now," Cal stated as he walked over to his daughter and her boyfriend.

Skye, who was wearing a gold Badgley Mischka evening gown that had a strapless neckline and a slit that ran from her left thigh down the floor, gave him a wary smile. She felt Grant, who was wearing a black Armani tuxedo that made him even more handsome than he already was, gently squeeze her waist.

"Thank you, Dad."

Cal's smile at her calling him that lit up the room before he walked away to talk to Lily and make sure Patrick stayed away from her.

"I think you made his day, Skye."

"I know I should have been scared of how he was with that man just now but I have a feeling that he was protecting Lily. Do you think we should be worried about how quickly they have become friends, Grant?"

He pulled her into his arms and they started to dance to the slow song that the band had started to play.

"They are adults and both have had their hearts broken by the selfish actions of others so if they can help each other out, I am fine with that."

Skye felt every eye in the room on them as they continued to dance as she laid her head on his chest.

"Everybody is staring at us, Grant."

"You are the most beautiful woman in the room so everybody either wants you or to be you."

She reached down and held onto the antique diamond pendant that matched her earrings and smiled at him. He had given it to her in their room and kissed her before putting it on her neck.

"I hope you know that wearing that tuxedo, you are the most handsome man in the room."

They continued to dance, lost in the music and each other.

Coulson stood on the side of the room with Melinda, wearing a longer version of the sliver gown that she had worn on their mission in Miami and more comfortable shoes, watching as the woman he loved like a daughter, dancing with a man he still didn't trust as far as he could throw him. He also knew that his relationship with Skye was still full of tension and that she would resist any attempts on his part to change her mind about Grant Ward.

"Phil, I hate seeing her with him as much as you do but there isn't anything we can do about it or we will lose her."

"That damn family has her and now Fitz on their farm and both of them have it in their heads that is where they need to be right now."

"We don't know what Fitz saw during his encounter with Lily and until he tells us, we have to trust that he knows what he is doing."

Fitz stood with Mack and Kara, watching as Jemma danced with Thomas Ward. The biochemist was wearing a black evening gown that went to her knees with a halter neckline and an open back. She laughed at something the handsome doctor said and Fitz couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Go ask her to dance, Turbo."

"No."

Mack and Kara shared a look of irritation as they had each heard the engineer arguing with Simmons over Skype. Something that had been happening every day since Fitz had left Shield. The worst one had been when she had seen Grant in the room with his arm around Skye's waist, the new couple oblivious to everybody but each other

Kara rolled her eyes before groaning in irritation at the sight of Ally walking her way, wearing an emerald green evening gown that was meant to seduce. The problem was she didn't really care anymore. Any affection she'd had for the other woman had disappeared after seeing her attitude in action.

"Mack, please dance with me," she begged her friend.

Mack and Fitz noticed Ally coming towards them and the former quickly escorted her to the area where everybody else was dancing. They quickly got lost in the crowd of dancers, ignoring the shriek of outrage from Ally, who had started going off on Fitz.

"Maybe you should cut your bloody losses and leave Kara alone. She doesn't want to be with you anymore," the engineer snapped at the woman.

"I am the one who dumps someone, not the other way around."

"With your attitude, I am sure that isn't true. Now do me a favor and leave me the hell alone," Fitz walked away from the blond and walking over to where Tommy and Jemma were dancing.

"May I cut in?"

Tommy looked at Jemma and saw the fear in her eyes that matched Fitz's and decided to help his friends out.

"Sure but don't cause a scene because my Aunt Lily will not be happy with either one of you."

He stepped back and watched as Fitz and Simmons started to dance, stiff and nervous about being around each other.

"Hello Thomas."

Tommy turned and faced the man that was responsible for him being in this world and felt nothing. In his mind, Travis Ward, despite his numerous faults and inability to protect him growing up, was his father, not Patrick McCallister. This man was nothing but the sperm donor who had helped his mother cause his family nothing but pain.

"Leave me alone, McCallister."

"I am not here for you but your sister. Are you going to ignore Susan?"

"As long as she continues to try to come between Grant and Skye than yes I am."

Tommy walked away from his biological father and over to the quiet corner where Travis was talking to a tall man in his early seventies wearing a tuxedo and shrewd pair of blue eyes that didn't miss anything around him. This was the man who was determining Grant's future, Judge Franklin Monroe.

"Father, Judge Monroe," Tommy said to both men before listening to their conversation and following their eyes as the two men watched Skye and Grant dancing together.

"Who is the young woman that he is with?"

"Agent Skye of Shield," Travis said.

"The young woman that shot him and helped Director Coulson attempt to sell him to Christian? Your son is a hell of a lot more forgiving then I am," Judge Monroe stated.

"He is in love with her and she has had to deal with a situation that has helped her grow up and realize her own feelings. Neither one of them haven't had it easy since Hydra decided to reemerge," Travis commented.

"Now they are after your grandson," Franklin stated. "Your son's past history of being abused by your wife and Senator Ward, young Kyle and me being your sister's godfather are the only things that made me decide to cut Grant any slack."

"I thank you for that. I also thank you for your help in the matter of my wife's death."

"Should the two of you be talking about this here?"

Travis turned to face Thomas, smirking at his youngest son.

"Your aunt has made sure that this room is protected from people wanting to eavesdrop on private conversations; especially certain blonds trying to get their hands on your brother and our money."

"I just had to walk away from Patrick McCallister and Dr. Zabo had to get him to leave Lily alone."

"Who is this Dr. Zabo?"

"Agent Skye's biological father, she was taken from him as a baby and hidden in an orphanage after her mother was murdered by Daniel Whitehall," Travis answered the judge's question.

"So that is why she used the last name Zabo when she was shot?"

"The hospital did that after he had to sign the consent paperwork."

"I will handle Patrick McCallister and get him to leave all of you alone. We have some business dealings that he can't afford me walking away from. Tell your son that I will consider easing up on some of the restrictions, particularly the time limits he has to be in the cabin if he continues following the court orders for the rest of the year. I will review the case again in five months to determine the next course of action if everything stays calm."

Grant stepped out of the bathroom and was heading back to the ballroom when the sight of Sue standing outside of the women's room and close to the top of the stairs going down to the lobby and into the hotel's restaurant.

"You don't damn well give up, do you?"

"She doesn't belong in this world. She isn't a society wife and doesn't know how our social circles work."

"What part of 'I am in love with her, not you' don't you understand? I don't care about my family's social circles. I never have."

"I meant what I said about exposing her as your mother's killer, Grant."

"Then you will find out why my aunt's temper is dangerous as hell, why Skye's father is called Mr. Hyde, what Coulson is capable of when you mess with his surrogate daughter and worse than that, why they call Agent May the 'Calvary'," he said, quietly before leaning in to whisper harshly in her ear. "Oh and Skye was trained by both Agent May and myself so with that and with her powers, I wouldn't mess with her."

They both felt the earth shake around them and turned to see Skye standing there, tears in her eyes. Grant quickly rushed away from Sue and over to his girlfriend.

"Calm down, I was just reminding her of what happens if she messes with you and the people who would make her life hell."

"Stay away from us," Skye bit out. "Kyle doesn't want you around him and Grant feels the same way. The three of us are a family and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it."

She passionately kissed Grant in front of Sue, not caring about the pain it would cause the other woman.

"I am ready to go back home, make love with you and fall asleep in your arms," Skye stated as she pulled away from Grant."

He smiled at her before kissing her again gently and pulling her away from a very devastated Susan McCallister and back into the ballroom.

Before she could follow them, a hand reached out and pulled her into the stairwell, picked her up and threw her over the railing. Her neck broke as she hit the floor and the impact killed her instantly.

AN: I started a bit of a murder mystery that will cause some trouble because Sue's actions were leading to that moment and just about everybody is a suspect. I originally wasn't going to kill her but it came to me just now, something needed to be done to pick up the story a bit because things were starting to lose its spark for me as the writer. Given how strong the person had to be to throw Sue down the stairwell, the killer will be a male but I haven't decided who it will be yet.

I was originally going to have something happen to Lily or Louise but changed my mind fairly quickly after my muses sent me in the direction this chapter ended with.

I want to watch more episodes about 'real Shield' and other stories that are coming in the back half of season 2 before possibly incorporating them into this story. In this story, Kara will stay Ward's best friend and there won't be a crush like has been spoiled on the show.