Chapter 1:

The next day Ward, Coulson, and May were in his office discussing possible groups that could have a hold of Skye. Sophie was being watched by Fitz and Simmons downstairs. They were overjoyed to watch the little girl, who was quite brilliant for being only four.

"Is it possible Hydra has a hold of her?" Coulson asked.

Grant shook his head. "I only followed Garrett. The last time I worked for Hydra was to keep Skye safe. Since then I've disappeared off their radar. Hell, if SHIELD couldn't find us then I doubt they could have."

"So it's possible we are dealing with an unknown third party," May said.

Just then a scream echoed through the building. On instinct, Grant bolted down the stairs. Sophie laid there on the floor, screaming and crying.

"Shh, it's all right. I'm here." Grant said, putting a hand on her back.

"No!" she crawled away from him. "That man says you're a bad guy." She pointed at Lance Hunter who was sitting on the couch. "He says you're a monster."

"Sophie," he tries again but she gets up and runs into Jemma Simmons arms as she enters the room.

"What's all this about?" Fitz asks as he stands by Simmons.

"I thought the little girl deserved to know the truth," Hunter said, crossing his arms over his chest. "The bastard has been telling her that he's some sort of a hero."

"Lance," Bobbi gasped as she went to stand by her husband. They had decided to get married again after she thought that he had changed.

"I didn't tell my daughter that I was a hero." Grant said, getting in his face. "Her mother told her stories about how I was a hero that could protect them from anything."

"I'll go get her cleaned up," Simmons said, dragging Fitz with her.

Bobbi pushed Grant away from Hunter. "He didn't mean anything by it."

"I did, Bobbi," Hunter said standing up. "It's probably your fault that her mother is gone, probably dead for all we know."

"That's enough," Coulson announced. "Bobbi, take Hunter for a walk. He needs some cooling off. Ward, go check on your daughter."

"If she'll even want to see me," Grant muttered as he went towards the lab.

Simmons was sitting in one of the lab chairs. Sophie was sitting in her lap, wrapped up in her arms. Her face was buried in Simmons' lab coat. Fitz was crouched down in front of them, speaking softly.

"Your daddy isn't a monster, Sophie. He's not a bad man. Every hero has to make choices. Sometimes he made wrong choices." Fitz told her. "Your mommy wouldn't be with him if he was a bad man."

"But that man said," Sophie started.

Fitz interrupted her. "That man doesn't know the whole story. Your daddy is a good man, who loves you very much."

Grant stepped into the room, causing the three to look up. Sophie stared up at him through her tear filled eyes. Just when he thought she was going to send him away again, she reached her little arms up at him. He picked her up, holding on to her tightly. He breathed in her strawberry scent.

"I love you, baby girl. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise." he whispered to her.

"I love you, daddy," she says, kissing him on the cheek.

"Now why don't you go play with Jemma some more," he suggests.

Simmons leads the little girl out of the room, leaving Fitz and Grant alone. This was their first time alone together since he had been in his cell. Fitz seemed to have made more progress in his recovery since the last time he had seen him.

"I wanted to say thank you for what you said to her. You and I both know it's a load of shit, but it means a lot that you'd tell her that." Grant said, clasping him on the shoulder.

Fitz grinned up at him. "No child should hear that their father's a bad person."

"Thank you again," Grant started to go out of the room when Fitz stopped him.

"It is true, you know." he started off. "You are a good person, Ward. You've made horrible decisions, but there is good in you. Skye must've seen it since she's willing to have children with you. I see it even after everything that's happened. The only person that's left to convince is you."

Grant sighed, not knowing what else to say. Skye had spent years trying to convince him that he wasn't a bad person. He just couldn't believe it. He wasn't the hero of the stories that she would tell Sophie. No, instead he was really the villain. A man who didn't deserve a happy ending but had somehow wound up with one.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy." Sophie jumped into his arms as soon as she had seen him. There was no tears or puffy eyes on the now smiling four year old.

"If it isn't my Princess Sophie," he smiles at her. "Are you having fun with Jemma?"

"She says to call her Aunt Jem," Sophie informs him.

His heart swells at this. Perhaps she had forgiven him as well. "Isn't that nice."

She nods, her brown hair bouncing as she does so. "Now I have Aunt Jem and Uncle Fizz."

Grant chuckles at this. Sophie could speak well most of the time but there were still a few things she had trouble pronouncing. Apparently Fitz was one of those things.

He spent the next hour playing with his daughter. It didn't take long before she started to close her eyes. He laid her down on the bed he was assigned, tucking her in. Carefully Grant kissed her forehead, not wanting to wake her up.

Melinda May stood in the doorway watching as he tucked his daughter into bed. He'd changed a lot since she had last seen him. For the better, she decided. Skye must have helped him become a better person during their time together.

"You're good with her," May says after he closes the door.

"She and Skye are my everything," he says with a sigh. "Now I just need to get her back. It won't be long before Sophie realizes that her mom isn't on a vacation. I'd like to get her back before that happens."

May puts a hand on his back. "Don't worry, we'll get her back."