It's a small crime, and I've got no excuse
I don't own Skye or Ward, or Agents of Shield for that matter. They're all the property of Marvel.
Ward sighs when he sees the headlines in the paper. There's reports of a small earthquake near Madrid, approximately a couple of miles north of the city. He sighs, somehow immediately knowing that this can't have any natural cause. The article states that there's aftershocks in the area, and he knows where, and who to look for.
He arrives outside the city of Segovia about an hour later, and there is wrecked buildings and rubble as far as he can see. "Skye." His heart is hammering against his ribcage, and he knows he has to find her quickly.
The sound of his footsteps echo like gunshots as he makes his way through the city, through the mass of people helping each other out and crying for help. He passes by an old man reaching out for him, mumbling something he doesn't understand.
And that's when he sees her.
Skye is huddled up in a corner and wrapped in a blanket she was given by a kind old woman. She is trembling from head to toe when she looks at the destruction around her. Hot, burning tears begins to fall when she remembers how she has almost destroyed the city, along with those who live in it.
But her powers have been so much harder to control since she ran into her father, close by the french-german border. She vaguely remembers screaming at him to stay away from her, seeing as he was almost tripping with delight when she finally calmed down enough to explain what had happened to her down in the temple.
"Skye!" She jerks out of her thoughts when she hears someone call her name. It's a voice she knows well, although she hasn't heard it in almost 18 months now. She sees him in the corner of her eye, and stand up on slightly shaky feet as he runs over to her. "Grant." The relief she feels is almost too much when he pulls her to him.
Grant can hardly believe that he's actually holding her in his arms, after so long. "Are you okay?" He wraps his arms around her to keep her on her feet, and sees a slow trickle of blood stain the fabric of her t-shirt, where it covers her shoulder. "Damn it, Skye." He picks her up into his arms, and carries her to his car, passing by the citizens that scurry about around them.
He can't help but notice that Skye's head is slumped against his shoulder, and panic grips him for a moment. "Skye?!" Her hand grips his, and he manages to relax a little more when he hears her speak. "I'm okay," She says, "Just… so tired." He nods, albeit still a little worried.
He puts her down on the ground, and she climbs into the SUV by her own help. He gets in the car, and ignites the engine, now expecting the usual questions. "In case you're wondering," He hears Skye say, "I'm here because I ran into my father."
She leans against the window and looks over at Ward, seeing the surprised/worried look on his face. "He's known that I've been transformed for a long time," She says and shifts uncomfortably. "Apparently he met Raina after the whole thing in San Juan."
She quietly explains that she managed to run into him at the german-french border, and that she's been on the run from him since. The expression on Ward's face doesn't change, and she hope with something of a malicious glee that he actually regrets having taken her to her father.
The rest of their ride passes in silence, until Skye sees where they're headed. "Why are you taking me here? You could have just dropped me off at the road or something." She swears she can almost hear him roll his eyes, and smiles weakly for a moment, before she turns to look out the window again.
"You're injured, and I can't let you loose when you're in a condition like this." He parks the car outside a small block of flats, and helps her out of the car. His arm is around her shoulder, and he sees that the blood from her wound has dried a little.
The door to the apartment creaks when he pushes it open, and he helps Skye inside and over to the bed, where he lays her down. "I'll fix you something to eat." His hand brushes gently over her hair, and he smiles back when she gives a weak smile. "I'll fix you something to eat."
He leaves her there, and returns a little while later, carrying a small bowl of tomato soup and some bread. "Here." He settles next to the bed as Skye takes the food, and he can't help but grin when he sees how hungry she is.
She doesn't really want to admit it, but the food she's eating is delicious. "Did you make this yourself?" She asks as she stuffs her face with the bread. She watches as he shakes his head. "Got it from the old lady in the apartment over me." Skye frowns at him. "There are other people here?"
"Only some old ones. Pensioners, I think." She hands him the bowl when she's finished eating, and wipes her mouth. "We need to check that shoulder of yours." Her eyes drift down to her shoulder, and sees that the blood has dried. "It's probably just a cut."
She wildly protests against him cleaning the wound (She is very much capable of doing it herself, thank you), but sits still as Ward cuts open the shirt. A hiss escapes Skye's lips when he gingerly touches the wound. "That hurt."
Grant tries his best to be gentle when he cleans the wound, but he can hear how Skye tries to keep her whimpers in check as he touches the sore flesh. The cut isn't too deep, fortunately, but he's fairly sure she'll feel in the next days, and takes care not to touch it too much when he bandages her shoulder.
"You need to sleep." He's rising from his position on the edge of the bed, when her fingers wrap around his wrist. "Stay?" He looks down at her and nods silently. "Scoot over." She does as he tells her to, and he slides in next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him.
He holds her as she rests her head on his chest, and he runs his free hand through her hair. "I… I haven't really been honest with you" He looks down at her and frowns. "I care about you Ward, I really do. But we can't be together. You betrayed the team, and I… I shot y-" He cuts her off before she can say anything else. "I know." His voice is soft as he continues. "And I have to admit, I was furious with you after you shot me. But I've forgiven you to a certain extent. And I do still love you, Skye."
Skye looks up at him and blinks in confusion. "You do? Even after everything?" She watches him as he nods. "I… I want to tell you the same thing, I really do, but I can't." She looks down. "I'm trying to trust you, but with what you did… I'm not sure I'll be able to fully trust you again." She can see him turn away, and she sighs.
"I really appreciate that you've come to see me now and then, but I'm always worried you're going to be discovered, and we'll both end up with SHIELD again." She curls into him, and listens to his heartbeat. "I wish I could change all of this," She shifts to look up at him when she hears what he says, "I wish I'd never followed Garrett in the first place. But I'm… I'm glad I met you." He stops for a moment. "I wish I could undo what I feel for you, and I've tried. It just doesn't work like that."
She nods and smiles weakly at him. "I know. I've tried doing that too. It… It's not like you can just erase it like writing from a paper." She looks down for a moment. "But I'm not ready yet. I can't… I can't say it out loud, because it will just make it more real, and I can't compromise myself like that."
"I know." He runs his hand through her hair, and smiles when she doesn't move away. "But it doesn't change that I love you, Skye. It doesn't take away the instinct I have to protect you from harm." He kisses her, and leans into her touch when she wraps her arms around him, her lips moving willingly against his own.
When he pulls away after a moment, he sees that she is sleepy. "Go to sleep. You'll need the energy." He kisses her forehead, and pulls the cover over her. Within a couple of minutes, she is asleep, and he kisses her forehead again. It doesn't take him longer than a couple of minutes to fall asleep as well, and he holds onto her.
Skye wakes up the next morning when she notices that Grant isn't there. She opens her eyes, and sees a wad of bills, a cellphone and a passport on the nightstand. She reaches out for it, but then sees the folded note on the pillow and picks it up instead. She unfolds it, and sighs as she reads what he's written to her this time.
The cash on the nightstand is enough to get you a plane ticket back to the States. The phone has no tracing on it. I'll see you soon." She folds the note and looks down on her hands.