Bursts of purple, orange and pink appeared as the sun rose one morning two weeks after the party from hell. Skye stood on the porch of the cabin watching as Grant repaired a fence in the pasture between the main house and the cabin. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him.
It was already hot and humid this early in the morning and his shirt was lying on the fence, sweat coating his upper body.
"Seeing him with his shirt off when we were staying with your father made me question my sexuality a lot of times," Kara commented, handing Skye one of the mugs of coffee she was holding.
"Did anything ever happen with the two of you?"
"Not that I wasn't tempted because he was kind and decent to me after what Whitehall and Bakshi did to me but nothing happened. He was recovering from where you shot him for about two months after San Juan and then he was involved with Sue."
Skye rolled her eyes at the mention of the other woman's name. Even dead, she was still being a thorn in their sides.
"I hope Lily can get Sue's mother to drop the wrongful death suit she filed against the family."
"Travis had the family attorney talk to her and she won't back off despite finding out that it was her ex-husband's ties to Hydra that led to her daughter's death," Kara stated before scowling in irritation. "Of course it doesn't help that Allison is helping her."
"What the hell were you thinking getting involved with her?"
"She didn't act like this until she came here. Besides, I have moved on."
Skye shot a wicked grin at her friend because Kara and Thomas had some weird little flirtation going on that had led to Michael breaking up with Thomas and quitting his job. It also didn't help that when Francesca's will had finally been read, Grant had inherited the farm. He was willing to help Grant when he had been the grandson of the farm's owner but not when he became the boss.
Flashback- A Week Earlier
Skye sat beside Grant and with the rest of the Ward's as the family sat in the office at the farmhouse. Also there was Fitz and Kyle, who were both confused as to why they were there.
A short and full-figured African American woman in her late thirties to early forties sat at Lily's desk. She pulled open a very expensive faux leather beige briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers in a light brown manila folder.
"Mrs. Ward asked me to read this will out and despite being changed on the day she died, it is legal and binding. We are still waiting on some more people that she has left something in her will to arrive."
The door to the office opened and Phil Coulson, Melinda May and Jemma Simmons were let into the room.
"Why are they here, Mrs. Harris?"
Skye could hear the anger in Lily's voice as she spoke to the attorney and she felt the same way. She was still very angry at Coulson in particular.
"Your mother changed her will and included something in here for them. The delay in her will being read was so your mother's last request could be fulfilled and she wants those three to hear it along with everybody else."
"Fine but as soon as their business here is over, I want them off of this property."
Lily could hear her family agreeing with her, especially her brother, Christian and Thomas who had been told about the confrontation the morning after the party.
"We are waiting on someone else before I can read the will; he has familial ties to Francesca Ward that her family never knew about."
The door to the study opened and Tony Stark stepped into the room, his face turned red in anger at the site of Phil Coulson sitting there.
"You better have a good explanation for why you aren't dead, Phil and don't think I won't tell Romanoff and Barton that you are still alive."
Tony sat down beside Lily Ward on the couch she shared with her brother, glaring at Phil the entire time.
"Well played, mother," Lily commented with a grin.
Skye looked over at the man she had loved at one time like a father and tried to feel some sympathy for him but couldn't. She was too worn out and tired of the games that had been played by him and others that remained in Shield to really care anymore.
Then she saw Fitz stiffen as she sat on the other side of Kyle on the couch the two of them were sharing with Thomas. Skye could see Jemma giving him longing looks and knew deep down inside that there was going to be an argument before Shield left, with Jemma begging Fitz to come back.
"Mrs. Ward left a video to be played that will detail her wishes. This was made on the day of her death and it is legal and valid."
Winifred Harris lifted the remote to the fifty inch T that was hanging on the wall and turned it on. Francesca's face filled the entire screen as tears fell from her families' eyes. The video started and everybody could see she was sitting in the chair of her house in the Hamptons.
"I, Francesca Stark Ward, being of sound mind anyway, have decided to make this video as my last will and testament."
"For Tony Stark, given that you have just heard my last name, you have figured out that I am related to you. I was your father's cousin. We lost touch after I married Noah Ward and had my first son: Travis. My attorney is in charge of giving you the location of a safety deposit box where I was entrusted with keeping safe a piece of his research he knew had to be kept safe. He knew that Hydra would never go after the wife of a United States Senator and this had to stay confidential."
Winifred stopped the DVD and handed an envelope to Tony before resuming the DVD again.
"I'm sure you have noticed that Phil Coulson is still alive. Don't go after him, Nicholas Fury and his little lap dog, Maria Hill will have the answers you seek. If they try to bullshit you, tell them to call Winifred and they will see the error of their ways."
"As for Phil Coulson, you tried to sell my grandson! You were so wrapped up in making Shield a legitimate organization again and keeping Grant away from Skye that you failed to realize that I was the one you should have been making deals with. Even as sick as I was in my final days, I would have done everything to help you because I want Hydra to pay for what they did to my grandson. You already took care of John Garrett and I want to thank you for that but you and your little bulldog hurt my grandson and acted like you weren't guilty of taking lives as well. That neither one of you hasn't killed someone in the name of Shield. None of you had a damn problem until Grant being a killer until it wasn't Shield he was killing for and didn't give a damn to find out that my lousy excuse of a daughter-in-law sold her own child to John Garrett and Hydra. They kidnapped and brainwashed a boy desperate to be loved and caused even more damage. Colonel Talbot was informed that if he helps Shield anymore, he will lose everything he has worked hard for. My daughter will see to it that your 'organization' is torn to pieces before this battle is over."
"Melinda 'the Calvary' May, I bet you would want to punch me for calling you that along with you being 'Coulson's lap dog'. You threw yourself at a man young enough to be your son with the promise of alcohol and meaningless sex. Then had the gall to act hurt when you found out that he wasn't into you and did it only to take his mind off of someone else and because of orders from his kidnapper and brainwasher. Oh but that wasn't your biggest crime. According to my sources, when that Asgardian witch came here and held my grandson under a spell that he couldn't consent to anything that he said or did, when that person raped my grandson, you punched him and accused him of cheating on you. What kind of person does that? MY GRANDSON WAS RAPED!" Nobody did a damn thing to get him the help he needed, it was all about your pain."
Skye watched as Coulson had to pull May out of the room because she looked ready to pull the TV out of the wall. She could see Louise clenching her fists as she sat with Christian and Anna, ready to fight May again and Lily looked angry enough to help her this time.
"Now let's move on to sweet Jemma Simmons. You threatened to kill my grandson for what he did to Fitz. Lily had that pod brought up from the ocean floor and examined by experts. From what they found out, that thing was supposed to float. Grant, with his job as a Specialist, would have known that as well as Mr. Fitz. It was also found that the flotation device was damaged by a barrage of gunfire. I didn't find out how that happened but was there a situation where the inside of your plane was fired upon?"
Skye remembered that day at the HUB when Grant had protected her from the bullets being fired into the BUS the day that Shield fell. She felt Grant take her hand and noticed Fitz starting to tremble as he realized what Ward's grandmother was implying. That is was the attack on the plane that Victoria Hand had ordered that had damaged the med pod.
"I leave the amount of twenty million dollars to Leopold Fitz to help with his efforts to change the world for the better. It is yours to do with as you please. Don't consider this a payoff for the damage my grandson caused you but a chance to change the world with your inventions."
"The same amount will go to Jemma Simmons but only if she leaves my grandson alone and everybody agrees to let the bitterness go. Holding onto bitterness and anger only truly hurts the person holding on to it."
"To my children, the both of you have 25 percent each of our family's financial holdings. The other fifty percent will be divided equally between my four grandchildren and their children."
"So to my granddaughter Louise, I leave my home in Boston and ten percent of the company. My darling girl, you have had to carry a lot of pain in your lifetime with being the oldest and not being able to help the abuse that was taking place in your home. Stop running away from love, there will be someone out there who will love you flaws and all."
"Christian, you let your mother's abuse take you to a scary place. It broke my heart to see you take out your hurt and anger on both Grant and Thomas. I leave my home in Georgetown to you and Anna as well as ten percent in the company. May it be God's will that the both of you be able to fill it with the children the both of you want so badly. If you can't, there are plenty of children out there in the world that need good homes. I'm pretty sure Skye would help you with that, given her own experiences."
"My darling Grant, spending my final days with you was some of the best I have ever known. I missed you so much, my sweet boy. I wish I had known about what your mother had done and been able to find you before the damage had been done. I know about Kyle but I didn't take custody of him because I didn't want your mother anywhere around him. I kept an eye on him and in the box Winifred is about to give you is some old pictures and videos of him in various stages of his life. Your son is a gifted musician and will change the world, I can feel it. Both you and Kyle will each receive ten percent of my company and I am leaving the Farm to you, Grant and my penthouse on Park Avenue to Kyle."
"Kyle, you are my first great grandchild and despite not being a part of your life, I did everything I could to make sure you had a wonderful one. I loved you from the first moment I held you when you were born. Your mother and Aunt both agreed with me that your grandmother didn't need to be a part of your life. I love you very much and if you are ever apart of your father's life, take care of each other. He needs to know that he can be a wonderful parent."
"Thomas Jacob, I don't care that you aren't biologically my grandchild. In every way that counts, you are mine. I am so proud of you for fighting your demons and becoming a doctor. I worried about you when the truth of your addictions came out but you turned it around and accomplished so many wonderful things. I am leaving you ten percent of the company as well and our home at Bermuda Run if you decide to continue your career at Baptist Hospital."
"Lily, the house in the Hamptons is yours. You love that house and all of the memories we made there with your father and Travis."
"Travis, I know you enjoy helping Christian with his political career and also being close enough to your children to help them. I leave the mansion in Richmond where my parents lived to you. I also have one request, love your children and try to be the parent you should have been from the start. It is never too late to try and fix the damage we cause while we are all still on this earth."
"Skye, you love my grandson when you have every right to hate him for the rest of his life. Despite the extreme circumstances behind his actions, he still did things that hurt a lot of people. I could see why he fell in love with you. The both of you have done a lot of things to hurt each other and for others to teach you to be emotionless and push any emotions to the side really didn't help, all you were doing was avoiding instead of dealing with it. The same goes for you Anna, take care of and love Christian. He is going to need you."
Skye watched as the video ended, tears falling down her cheeks and holding onto Grant, who had an arm around a crying Kyle's shoulders. She could see how upset he was and gently kissed him on the cheek before following Tony Stark outside, who had left as soon as the video had ended.
She then watched as he and Coulson shared heated words, not sure what to make of a video mixed with words of love for her family along with delivering a massive fuck you to Phil Coulson and Shield.
Michael had quit as soon he had found out that Grant was his new boss. According to Thomas, the man had been hoping to inherit the farm for himself. Then again, he had just caught Kara and Thomas kissing and had broken up with him, leaving the farm that same day.
At the end of the summer, Grant, Skye and Kyle were moving to the main house and letting Kara and Thomas stay in the cabin along with Lincoln. Thomas would use the house in Bermuda Run when he needed to stay close to the hospital.
"Do you think Lily is mad at me for causing Thomas and Michael to break up?"
"Was what the two of you did right? But then again Love is love and you and Thomas have found some kind of connection despite showing a preference for same sex relationships in the past."
Before Kara could respond, they noticed Lincoln come walking into the pasture where Ward was working. He held the fencing up while Grant nailed it together.
"That boy is a cutie and a complete sweetheart but I sense he has a secret from his past."
"I agree but after that dream I had, I am planning on staying away from him. Besides I think he has a crush on Louise," Skye grinned.
"She'll tear that boy to pieces even with his powers, although wouldn't hurt her a bit to ease some tension with some hot sex."
Daisy was about to respond when she heard heated voices coming down the pathway and turned to see her father and Jiaying arguing as they walked towards the main house. It stopped as soon as they both saw her standing there.
"Good morning," they both said at the same time to Skye and Kara before continuing up the hill.
"I don't trust her," Kara whispered. "Grant doesn't either."
"I agree and my father knows more about her than what he is saying."
The women continued their conversation until they saw Kyle coming from the building where everybody works out, Elena right behind him. They were adjusting their clothes.
AN: The next chapter begins where this one ended and all hell breaks loose as Grant gets his first of just how bad a teenager can push your buttons.
I am not sure if the Avenger that had a cameo in this chapter will be back but maybe if I'm convinced enough, I could bring them and the other two that have already appeared in this story. Given that Natasha already knows that Coulson is alive from a previous chapter, this could cause some drama with the other Avengers that didn't know that Coulson was alive.
Gramsy's rant towards May isn't how I feel about how her and Ward's whatever started but it is the point of view of a very angry Grandmother protecting her grandchild she felt was victimized and nothing was done to help him before things got even worse.