Title: Can't Go Back
Author: Katie
Story Summary: This is a collection of non-chronological one shots about Ward's redemption. All happen in the same universe.
Spoilers: Season One
Ratings: PG
Pairing: SkyeWard
Authors Note: This will always be marked as complete since I don't know how many there will be. When I think of a story I want to write, I'll add it. If there is a story you want to see, let me know!
Distribution: Please! Just let me know.
Feedback: Please…Please!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything…at all…
32 Weeks, 5 Days, 9 Hours Since The Events At CyberTek.
They have what Fitz is calling a "real bad guy" coming onto the Bus for transport, so they need a place to put him. There is some debate on the matter, but eventually Ward is told to pull together his stuff in the Cage (a pillow and blanket, a change of clothes, and a toothbrush) so they and him could be moved and the Hydra leader they'd picked up in Barcelona could take up residence. They'd caught the man based solely on Ward's information, Coulson had reasoned – that had to be taken into account; he couldn't put them in there together. Based on a pure lack of other places to put him, he's going back to his old bunk – he'll wear a bracelet; it's been modified to both keep him from hurting anyone and keep him from leaving his bunk.
FitzSimmons and Skye stand in the hallway, watching May lead him away from the Cage and to his old bunk. He gets to the room and turns around to face May; she pushes the bracelet farther up his arm and out of her way while she unlocks his handcuffs. Ward's eyes lock with Skye's when he steps back and May activates the barrier to keep him in the room. She's the one to break the contact, Simmons' pulling on Fitz's sleeve and telling him to come with her distracting her. She glances back at Ward (who is still watching her intently) before following her friends.
The common area of the bus is pretty quiet – May has to stay in the cockpit (choppy skies taking away the luxury of auto-pilot for the night) while Coulson and Tripp sit in the Cage, questioning the Hydra agent trapped inside. Skye sits at the counter top in the kitchen, typing furiously while Simmons' works around her to make dinner for the small group – pizza (at Fitz's request). Fitz sits next to her at the counter (she's too excited by how long he's been up and alert to be annoyed at the distraction) so they watch Simmons walk around the kitchen, pulling together the ingredients she wants for pizza.
When the pizza is made, Simmons pulls out three plates and slides two pieces on each plate, putting the leftover behind her. She then tugs at Fitz's sleeve, pulling him away from the kitchen so Skye can get back to work. Fitz convinces Simmons to watch a movie with him and Skye smiles as they settle into the small area of couches off to the side. Fitz's is asleep before the opening credits are over, and Simmons follows not long after. Skye smiles to herself as she works.
Four or five hours later, Skye's sitting up in her chair, blinking sleep out of her eyes. She stretches a little, pushing her lap top away and shaking her head. She sees Simmons – still asleep on the couch, but as she looks around, realizes she can't find Fitz. She stands up and starts to walk towards Simmons, to ask her where Fitz went when she hears laughter down the hall. She follows the sound.
When she walks down the hall, she sees Fitz sitting on Ward's bed, plate on his lap, pulling pieces of peperoni off to eat while animatedly telling a story. Ward's back is to her, he's leaning just inside the doorway, eating a piece of pizza that Fitz must have taken to him, and listening to Fitz's stories with interest (he doesn't interrupt or fill in when Fitz stutters and she can tell Fitz likes that). She can tell from here that he's tense; he must know this will get him into trouble – but when Fitz finishes his story with both his hand flying wildly in the air and Ward's laugh fills the hall, she knows even he can't resist Fitz's infectious charm.
Fitz starts talking again, this time asking questions, but too quickly and on top of each other – not giving time for them to be answered. She wants answers herself (not that she thinks Fitz will get them – at least not the real questions, the ones she wants answered) but she sighs, squares her shoulders, and walks down the hall and into Ward's room, she grabs Fitz's wrist "You can't be in here" she tells him pulling him up and towards the door.
"I was just…I was…" He lets himself be pulled to a standing position and looks around the room "we were talking" he says…maybe really not understanding why this was so bad.
"Fitz" it's harsher than she means it to be, "he's still a prisoner, you can't just be in here" She swallows hard "You just, you can't…" she finishes at a near whisper. Fitz looks around her to mouth the word 'sorry' to Ward (who just gives a lopsided shrug and a nod) before running his hand up and down Skye's arm once before walking out. She knows, even then, that Fitz doesn't leave because she told him to, or because he was caught, or because he though Ward would hurt him, or the million other totally valid reasons; he left because she needed him to – because she knows she looks like she wants to cry.
She takes a deep breath and tries to look indifferent when she spins around to face Ward "Skye, I'm sorry, I -"
"I don't care" she cuts him off, "You can't do that," she can hear him start to interrupt (I didn't do anything) but she keeps talking over him "You can't make him think you're the good guy in all of this…he wants to trust you for some insane reason, and you're the guy who -" she cuts herself off, breathing hard and shaking her head. She holds his eyes for another moment before turning to walk out.
"Skye, I'm sorry" he says it quietly, reaching out to touch her arm – trying to turn her around to face him again. But, when he does, it pulls the tips of his fingers out of the doors threshold, activating the bracelet.
The next thing either of them knows, he is on the floor, his whole body shaking for a moment before going still. Skye gasps, frozen in place for a moment before going back into the room to help him up. As he stands their eyes lock, and it hold for a long moment before Skye breaks it, running down the hall.